Tabs - a fad?

Laptops, smartphones, tablets, better of all three….what is next? Who is the audience for tabs, and what is the need that this device serves?

To answer this, I believe moving a step back, and assessing “how in today's fast moving world the lifestyle has also been changing (even) at faster pace / interval, as compare to may be what it had been a decade back. Not long back, we had portable cassette players, CD players, mps3 players, iPod, smartphones with superlative audio quality...what it essentially means the innovation is driven through need, or influences the need to cannibalize the existing product”, would really help.

It is not a new phenomenon; however, may be we never paid / attached so much thought to it either. What it also means is that a company’s success or float can’t be dependent on existing product / service, rather it has to keep evolving, else be ready to face the extinction (the marketing is full of these idioms and illustrations). The things change, if you have the monopoly, or have created a monopoly kind of situation; otherwise, the strong forces of market are so ruthless that they show no mercy to the laggards.

Another known fact, conceding a ground to opponent, rest assured that it be fought tooth and nail, when it comes to regaining the lost ground.

With this backdrop, I personally feel tabs are for the people who like to surf, read, and need reasonable computing power to accomplish these and other computing needs. These are not technology savvy people (Ok; may be most of them), rather they are consumers, and demand experience. That is experience of elegance, branding, and usage at the same time. For them these are not three attributes or needs, rather it is only one need, “experience”. Well, may be that is why iPad was a runaway success, and leaving all others to catch-up with it.

So, what is in store post tab? Will it be a death of PC / laptop?

I personally believe that eventually, more or less, market would consolidate into smartphones and laptops (lighter, smarter and more powerful). The reason behind this understanding is the “smartness” of smartphones and the tasks that these devices have been carrying out. With powerful cameras, video conferences, mail, quality audio system, connectivity options, printing, gaming, ever increasing computing and storage power and of course, the basic functionality of calling, it is having all the “services” that you need from a device you want to keep “handy”, is portable and help you keep “connected”. With its pinch and gesture driven movement, it is easier to read (relatively) too, albeit maybe not for a longer period of time.

On the other hand when it comes to actual development, testing and release of applications / software, people need mobility and high computing devices with lot of connectivity options, which enables them to work for relatively longer hours with less strain. That is where you need laptops, as it provides exactly the same. Of course, the needs around long battery hours, and light weight are yet to be tackled effectively; nonetheless, the progressive products are inching closer to desired levels. Again, you will have categories within laptops; however, the basic traits will not change, i.e. need for power computing, extended working hours, bigger screen etc.

So, what is tab’s work? It is a product, which has traits of smartphone and “basic” laptop, to provide users a mobile experience. However, can those be used for serious software development, or can those be used as a replacement for your phone? Those had been and will always be “add-on”; if those survive the revolution in smartphones.

It always beats me as why do you need an 800$ device to read books? The reason being, all other needs can easily be (at some place even better) be served by your smartphone. This is not a device, which can replace your laptop either. Then why do you need it?

May be it is a device, which was a stop gap arrangement until your smartphones could serve those needs. I believe the time has come, where the “premium” tag to this category is no longer justifiable. At best it could serve as replacement for netbooks. That is, convenience / volume category, and not as “niche” market.

The reason behind my understanding is very simple, smartphone with an option of “physically expandable” screen is tablet. This trait is well known, and I’m sure many companies would have been researching to provide this flexibility with no compromise in “experience”. It is a matter of time, when we have that feature in smartphones, and at that time it would be the end of tablets, or at least those would recede into “netbooks”.

Of course, all of this with affordability, as you do not want to create another “satellite phone” kind of case study.

Digital Socializing

Digital Socializing?

 

This is one term I have not been able to understand, despite having read about it, having discussed with colleagues and being enlightened by the Gurus (read it as, “who practice it day-in day out”) of this philosophy. No, it is not because I do not want to understand, or I can’t appreciate the understanding given by these individuals (or shall I say “proponents of this belief”). Rather, I’m unable to understand the excessive need of this, and the value creation of organizations providing these services.

 

Of course, if you look at the dictionary meaning of “Socialize”, one may argue, it is another form of socializing. As ultimately, it means and fulfill the need of “to associate” / “fraternize” / “go out” / “hobnob” / “mingle” / “mix”. Everything is fine; however, doing that over internet is something that I find a little hard to understand. I keep asking one question, “What is the need that this medium satisfies”?

 

Is it medium to communicate? Is it for people to share their happiness / sorrow? Is it a medium to express oneself? Is it a forum to make new friends? Well, established users of this forum will answer in affirmative to all. May be, they are right; however, it is from their perspective, i.e. end users perspective. But, is it same for the people who own these “mediums”?

 

Isn’t this ironic, when we see some new face through eyepiece of our home door, we start having doubts in our mind. We will be very cautious over providing information, or providing access to our home, unless we scrutinize the information on that person to our satisfaction. However, we share our personal information, photographs, our fights, social calls, achievements…virtually everything without giving a second thought. Since, when either us or governments across the globe had been so confident about security of data shared over these sites that we do not feel any hesitance in sharing all of this information?

 

Every single day, we have news on misuse of this data, or medium, by anti-social elements to make victim of unsuspecting member(s). Still we share our personal data, our day’s happenings…why?

 

Is it truly socializing? We are sharing information, right? Is sharing information is equivalent to socializing? If not, then why do we term these mediums / internet sites as “Social Media” sites?

 

This list of arguments and questions keeps coming, and that is why I have doubts on the efficacy of this medium as means to socialize.

 

I am a little perplexed because I want to understand the true need for this from end user as well supplier perspective. Being, in business, I believe even the providers of these services want to make money. Nothing wrong with it, as you need finances to host huge data center, keep staff to maintain the site…so, they have to have a commercially sound business model to support their “service”; in essence, to be in business. Well, they are not providing a utility service, where they charge their customers, either through “pay per use” or by any other model. Then, how do they keep their finances up?

 

Well, of course, advertising is one. But do you get so much of funds through advertising alone? When TBs of data get added every passed hour, worldwide, what is the scale of data centers they require world over, as it does not stop with persisting data alone; rather, involves, scale, performance, redundancy etc. The “Premium” accounts are more towards being “less restrictive” on usage of site (of course, may be with higher storage space); however, again, there does not seem to be any other utility driven service. What is the catch?

 

Let’s develop it further, if the sources of income are “advertising” and “premium” account subscriptions only, then what do they do with the stored data? It is just being kept there, so that when you want to access it, it can be pulled on your request? Well, the answer lies in promotions that you get as per your habits, pings that you get from vendors as per your shared “tastes”, search results that you get as per your “liking”…the list goes on. What it essentially means that your data is getting analyzed and patterns / categories are being formed to classify your information. What it also means, the more you share the more refined results you get. WoW! Interesting, isn’t it?

 

Hell, No! What it means that your information is in public domain, and have the potential of being used somewhere else, where you least expected. Please note, “potentially”, as now the information is no longer privy to you. Is that what you signed up for?

 

On the flip side, if suppliers do not do these analytics, the relevance of their search, promotions, and sell would be least effective, resulting in poor customer experience, and potential retrenchment. What an irony.

 

Now, let’s focus on end user. They just want to share information, right? Well, for what? Why am I so interested in showcasing my new card, wardrobe addition, hobby, pains, joys, sorrows, achievements, frustrations, promotion…all of my emotions and information that in normal circumstances would like to share with my near and dear ones; is getting spilled on public domain. Of course, supplier ensure that information is accessible as per “security” model enforced on that site; however, the fact is it is getting stored on some server somewhere on this planet.

 

We term it socializing! In reality, it is Me, My and Myself. Others, have a limited choice to “react” to your display for emotions, that too, as an “information post” and not in a continuing dialogue form. It is non obtrusive, agree; however, would you go to this extent, to remove that obtrusiveness? In my view, it is void of emotions, rather it is a selective display of self that you want to portray to other at any given point in time. However, either because of paucity of time, or lack of interest (or simply because of lethargy) you want to let it display over an “electronic board” for people to read and react to it. It is a simple game of seeking attention, by letting world know what you think.

 

But is it truly socializing? Just by “like” or responding to comments / pictures of someone else, are you serving any cause? It may help you in sharing the information with like mindset people; however, making it a movement, is something that cannot be achieved through this. Spending hours together on socializing through picture sharing, posting messages, or PDA; however, without seeing them for days / months / years together! Have all kind of ailments in the process; neck pain, lower back pain, stiff neck muscles, wrist pain etc. At least I’m unable to understand this kind of socialization where people feel near to each other and yet they find themselves miles apart from reality, OR “in touch with convenience and as per their liking but from comforts of their couch”.

 

How long will it last? More than that what do we achieve out of this and at what cost? To me, we still do not meet people and either get or provide the warmth of touch and joy of being there when someone need you the most. We want to share the information on materialistic gains, provide our thoughts to people (with a hope that they would read), vote our liking for a cause but without participating in it or toiling for it, and may be the biggest dichotomy, socializing without actually socializing.

 

May be I’m getting old, or belong to dinosaur’s era. So, let me leave you with some thoughts:

1)    Why is that after spending hours on social sites, every day, you still feel the need to “connect”?

2)    Why is that you feel possessive about your belongings and information; however, are so eager to share over the net, knowing that it is getting stored in public domain?

3)    Why are we have more and more instances of identity theft?

4)    Why do we need this forum?