Titans’ Turf Wars Hurt Us All
The following is by G. A . “Andy” Marken, President of Marken Communications Inc. He has kindly given us permission to republish his thought-provoking commentary. As with everything that we publish at AlienBabelTech, the opinions expressed are solely those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and the opinions of the rest of the ABT staff. –Mark Poppin, ABT Senior Editor
Clash of the Titans II
“Have you seen what’s happening out there? Have you even bothered to look?” – Andromeda/Alexa Davalos – Clash of the Titans, 2010 (Warner Bros)
Maybe people like Jobs and Schmidt aren’t omnipotent gods, but don’t tick them off.
Adobe insulted Steve back in ’96 when they helped Gates first and wouldn’t do a special version of software for the lowly Mac.
Now Jobs looked down to the apps developers and said, “They need to be reminded of the order of things…”
BAM!!! he eliminated Flash from their iPhone connection and wouldn’t let it on his tablet.
Of course, he gave a good reason…their stuff is buggy and crashes (a Mac crashes???…OMG!!!
The Titans can scuffle in the stratosphere, but when they get serious, it makes things miserable for mere mortals.
1984
Jobs started his rise with an ad.
1984 — The Apple only paid once to play their Think Different ad on a Super Bowl Sunday years ago, but it appeared millions of times since and still lives in the virtual world of the Web. The theme? Don’t mindlessly follow the crowd…hhmmm. Source – Apple
Told everyone to “Think Different.”
For years, life for the Titans was good.
They’d show us something new, hot, sexy…we’d emote over it and buy it.
Each Titan had his/her own turf.
Things were so smooth, Steve invited Eric over for board meetings.
Eric was making a ton of money selling cloud clicks, ads.
Steve was making a ton selling things.
First, he reinvented the MP3 player, called it an iPod, added a store. Sold millions of players…sold a gazillion songs…took out the RIAA.
Then, he reinvented the phone with all the trimmings.
He even allowed mortals to build apps he’d sell for them.
Beyond the Phone – Far from the first smartphone, Apple’s iPhone refreshed the mundane phone call on-the-go experience, taking mobile communications, sharing, enjoyment to a new level. In less than two years, the new breed of smartphone has placed tremendous strain on service providers’ ability to keep pace with consumer demands. Improvements – and changes – are in the wind, but it will require new payment plans.
There was an iPhone explosion – an estimated 50 million units sold, 200,000 apps available (100 flatulation, one Pulitzer prize – finally – apps), six billion downloads.
That’s a big chunk of profit for Apple.
Schmidt took notes in the board meetings.
Mobile kingdom Titans said kids were getting their mobile device earlier (9-1/2 vs. 10 last year – Nielsen Mobile Insights).
Schmidt noticed they were sending an average of 100 text messages a day (Pew Research) – more clicks to count, more ads to slip in.
Steve heard Eric had been poking around the Apple labs and had actually listened to some of his ideas.
Jobs was not pleased!
Not a Happy Titan – If Schmidt had been content with racking up billions by tracking user clicks and selling ads, he might still be on the Apple Board. But Google’s decision to offer a smartphone, add Android apps stores and now help competitors introduce tablets, did not sit well with the Titan of One Infinity Circle…not at all.
Schmidt figured it couldn’t be too hard to make an iPhone knockoff and use Google’s own OS.
Android phones sell O.K., but the gPhone?
As Solon said, “Not exactly confidence inspiring…”
Steve needed another storefront profit center, so he decreed the redesign of the iPod Touch as something new, breathtaking…
New Species
An eBook…MID (mobile internet device)…pretty smartbook…kinda’ a tablet computer…
Bigger, Better Something – With his usual flair and amid a lot of serious doubt, Jobs introduced the overgrown iPod Touch (but totally different), the iPad. The Titan had expended a lot of energy telling you how easy it was to enjoy your content and other stuff on your iPhone, but this is even better. Millions agreed and touchscreen suppliers are hustling to improve production yields as other Titans rush their versions to market.
TaDa…Brilliant!
After more than a half million were sold in five days, 3500 (non-flash) apps were made available.
The Titan still had his magic…3.5 million app downloads, 600,000 eBooks.
Analysts believe Apple will sell one million iPads by June, more than five million by the end of the year.
No one can really figure out where the sucker fits in the marketplace, but the “category” is gonna be HUGE!!!!
New Category – A surprise to almost everyone – including Apple – the iPad filled a need people didn’t even know they had for something beyond an eBook, mobile device, tablet PC and smartbook. No one seemed to notice that half the world doesn’t have perfect vision and watching/reading your content on an itty-bitty screen hasn’t been fun. They know it now. Source — IDC
Many expect mortals will grab up 50 million of the touchscreen tablet units by 2014.
As you would expect, Schmidt hustled the other Titans offering up his “open” OS solution.
Titans like HP, Dell, Asus, Acer, Lenovo, others set their minions to work to produce the impossible…a better iPad.
Everyone is waiting for the alternatives. Especially really “irritated” developers who spent a lot of time and effort developing all kinds of apps.
They expected to stay the course…use Flash conversion tools and sell in both the Windows and Apple environments.
Oh sure, the interactive Flash program sits on almost every computer and gives life to most of the video, animation and games on the Web.
But someone asked the Apple Titan how soon Flash would be on the iPhone and iPad the response was, “Uh, no.”
China Syndrome – With Google not on China’s “best friend” list, Apple’s iPad could see excellent sales there and around the globe. All they have to do is solve a few “minor” supply chain problems like touchscreen production yields, keep the Apple ecosystem polished and beat off the alternatives. Source — IDC
In addition to the rabid group of 1984 followers, Apple gained a new set of followers.
China probably has the same opinion Jobs as it does of Google.
Perseus, a Chinese convert, turned to Schmidt and said, “I’m not one of you! I’d rather die than stand alongside you!”
Jobs’ reassured them saying, “We’re making them as fast as we can. Our ramp is going well, but evidently we can’t quite make enough of them yet so we’re going to have to try harder,”
Jobs wasn’t through with Schmidt…not by a long shot.
His walled garden was becoming a sprawling self-contained ecosystem.
– Computers, operating system, key apps
– Music/content players, storefront
– Smartphones, operating system, app rules/development kit, apps store
– Tablet device, operating system, app rules/development kit, apps store
Some developers say Apple is worried mortals may venture out to other app stores. Others say the closed environment will produce better apps, unique to the Apple environments (no more Adobe mistakes).
While the Titans stomped, hollered and kick fluffy clouds around, mere mortals just go out and buy what the early adopters/innovators say is hot, sexy, cool!!!
This week, its Apple. A month from now it may be …
Zeus whispered to Jobs, “Embrace your birthright.”
Jobs looked around the walled garden and found it needed…its own ad platform.
Of course…iAd!!
Eyeballs Anyone? – With millions of iPhone and iPod users already in place and the prospects of even more iPad users enjoying themselves in the Apple walled garden in the near future, there was no better time for Jobs to unveil the company’s iAd program. If it takes a little out of Google’s pockets…so much the better.
Telling a Pulitzer winner where to go? Dumb
Blowing off Flash? Questionable.
Your own ad platform? Priceless!
Gartner sees mobile advertising racking up about $1.6 billion this year and next year… iAd snaps revenue right out of Google’s pockets
Freedom to Move
Today, we’re moving toward 50 billion connections.
Aw, Come-on Titans – All of the Titans of the industry are developing end-to-end solutions for consumers to use, enjoy. Works beautifully as long as you stay inside their ecosystem. The problem is, people use a variety of devices, systems, applications from a variety of manufacturers. Moving from one walled garden to another isn’t easy. Source — IDC
The problem is, no one lives with one device. You’re lucky if you can get by with two…or three.
We’ve using a wide range of mobile, fixed system/environments.
Applications and data are …everywhere.
Titans could care less how you quickly, easily, painlessly synchronize content from one device to another, one platform to another, one ecosystem to another.
They aren’t that benevolent!!!
Hades counseled the Titans, “I have watched from the underworld… it is time for the mortals to pay!”
Warm Down Here – While the Titans fight up there, consumers down here pay the price of having to endure the pain and anguish of using their content when they want, where they want, how they want. Hardware, software, service, content providers all focus on the market – from their perspective – the rest is up to us. Image – Warner Bros
We’re not taking sides with either Google or Apple in this little tiff.
Come-on Guys
All we want are things – hardware, software, services – that are adaptable and suitable for a specific task or set of tasks.
When Schmidt presents his neat ideas to mobile service providers, IT managers, content delivery services, governments, you name it; he really acts like he has us right there!!!!
Had ‘em Right Here – Google’s hold on everything Web has slipped a little recently. New ecosystems – like Apple’s and Facebook’s – have become increasingly popular, drawing consumers – and advertisers – to newcorners of the universe.
Sure, Zeus, Perseus, Jobs have every right to strike back–and hard. But man, it’s our stuff – content, data, communications, entertainment, information.
Saying, “hey, stay in the garden,” really isn’t a logical solution to the dilemma.
Before the next Super Bowl, we’d like to see Steve watch the 1984 ad again…very closely.
It’s almost getting to the point that Hades is right about both of them, “You have insulted forces beyond your comprehension.”
Andromeda was nice enough to reassure us, “This isn’t your fight!”
Ballmer is looking like a Titan we can live with!
He’s the only one not swingin at us…
# # #
By G.A. “Andy” Marken
President
Marken Communications, Inc.
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