This is a followup to John C. Dvorak’s column on PCmag.com:
Here’s one thing I’m looking forward to that a pocket product with somekind of GPS built-in and clever Web 2.0 apps would bring:
- Organisation in society and among people so that nobody needs to wait in line ever again.
In this society of consumerism, some people simply don’t question the fact that some coorporations are making a lot of money on them waiting in line. When you wait in line, you are generating frenzy around a product or service, like a magnet, the line tells passer bys that they should also stand in the line if they want to be normal. Normality today is to shut up, not care about politics, and to stand in lines to buy new products from large coorporations. In fact, the product is part of an experience and an event that is designed to attract more customers, to generate more profit.
The iPhone is all about the feeding of consumers with a flashy piece of gadget that has a flashy interface. Is this interface a better way to do consumer electronics? Or is it just a flashy animation that does not improve any aspects of usability, and a product that does not provide any new features? Surely Apple has had the ressources to research during the past couple of years what would be the best way to improve usabillity in consumer electronics? Has Apple mostly spent their R&D to create a flashy experience product but with no improvement in terms of usabillity and functionality?
Would some companies be able to earn even more money if there was a way that everyone could buy products and get experiences without having to wait in line?
Here are more negatives to add on the ones listed at gizmodo.com:
Just as any other Apple product, it’s locked to iTunes, it doesn’t support full DVD quality DivX, XviD, Mpeg2, WMV, AC3, vbr-mp3, RM, Mpeg1, Ogg Theora, GVI.. It only synchs through iTunes, forget about copying some files from a random computer that doesn’t have iTunes installed. No TV-out, no TV-in.
The iPhone being sold in the USA is also locked on an outdated 2G data service plan and Americans are thus forced by law to continue paying for that data service for two years. Minimum price is 2000$ in all. Even if there are 3G, WiMax alternatives already available or imminent, every iPhone owner is forced to stay on a crappy data service network and are forced to keep paying for EDGE for two years even if one quickly gets tired of such a slow bandwidth (after like 5 minutes of browsing on EDGE speed you get sick of it and probably won’t like to do it again ever) Thus this is gonna be just an expensive WiFi browser with an EDGE service plan nobody needs but are forced to pay for.
Also it’s locked so users cannot do VOIP on the iPhone, nor IM and bad Javascript support means a lot of Web 2.0 apps are never going to work on the iPhone.
Neigther the iPhone nor the N95 are any really good value for the crazy expensive prices that they cost.
Nokia is 750$ (+ subscription?)
iPhone is 500-600$ (+ 1440$ - 2400$ 24-month subscription contract)
Given the fact that neigther are going to last any more than a few months, those are both not to recommend anyone else than someone who has no problems paying a lot of money for a product that is not going to last.
In my opinion the revolutionary effect in portable consumer electronics, which will be usefull in the longer term, provide the good reason to invest more than into a 10$ pre-paid phone, that’s when the Archos 605 WiFi (200$) or the N800 (400$) will be comming with VOIP on WiFi, HSDPA and later WiMax.
If your device comes with 2G data service, then you might as well get a 10$ pre-paid clamshell phone with virginmobile or something like that which will give you the same use.
Though when there will be 800×480 4″ screen products with PC-like Opera browser experience, with full Flash and Javascript support, and providing free unlimited worldwide VOIP and IM using all of WiFi, HSDPA and WiMax, then those are gonna be the revolutionnary product.
Thus far iPhone and N95 are not revolutionary, they are simply temporary flashy bricks for rich kids and misguided early adopters.
I filmed this today here in Hannover at the CeBIT consumer electronics show. This is the worlds smallest UMPC, it runs a full Windows XP, has 4.3 inch screen, costs 700$ with the Windows XP licence, but isn’t available before July. Comes with 30 or 60GB 1.8 inch hard disk drive, 256mb ram on the AMD Geode LX800 processor.
CrunchGear has heard some rumors about a second Zune with phone capabillities.
They should call it Zune 2.
Of course there will be more Zune. Microsoft is like one of the biggest companies in the world.
And for sure the current Zune will get some more Wi-Fi functionalities.
I think the most important thing is that the next generation devices provide wireless VOIP, IM, Good Browsing, VOD, MOD and all that for free. This is the disruptive times, and people don’t want to be locked down to anything.
I think that sometime soon there will be a 100$ laptop suitable for everyone. And the processor and harddrive innovations will only benefit the server hardware. As with an internet connected cheap and reliable portable client hardware, you will have access to all multimedia files hosted on the internet.
Only profetionnals will need big desktop computers with fast processor and big harddrives. Normal people will suffice with light internet access clients. Though the set-top-box will be powerfull, in everyones living room, with even powerfull 3D console eigther external (like the Nintendo Revolution) or built-in (like the xbox360). That powerfull living room set-top-box will manage HD video playback and encoding for mpeg4-2 and h264.
So basically one portable pocket device, or 100$ laptop sized and one standalone home centric device, connected to a HD projector, that is all people will need. And each of those devices will cost 100-200$ (exluding harddrives). Thus everyone will have them.
Soon the perfect personal wireless computer will exist. It could be built now. It is a device which does not need to be upgraded. It is a WiMax/GPS/Multimedia/Digitizing/display interface. Every person will keep it as they keep their wallets and passports. This is not about total governmental control; this is about total governmental assistance. It provides total personal assistance, and it will solve all our problems.
This is one of the menus that you will find on the perfect personal pocket computer:
I’m Happy - I want another job
I can help - I need help
I want to meet someone - I want to go someplace
The clever computer system thus organises what every person wants, and makes sure everyone can do what they want. This is liberty for every person to do what they want, assisted by the computer system over the internet, to make sure there is space for everyone to be happy.
No one should have the same crappy job all their life, if they don’t want it. Everyone should in turn do the crappy jobs for one day every two months or so. People who are not satisfied with their daily activities should have a way to notify the system, so at least the system always knows who is complaining, and when a new personalized activity is available, an instant message is sent to the user who can then try that new activity. The basic goal of IT Communism is that everyone can do what they want. There is space for everybody to do what they want.
The service sector is growing, it means we spend our days helping each other.