The "Box" will be one of the best low profile computers available. It's got a DVD drive, a hard drive, a mid-end ATI DirectX9 video card, and 802.11 wireless from Linksys. Just open up the box and upgrade the memory module, and you have a fairly powerful PC. The production versions will probably need some hardware hacks to make it a full PC, but the pre-production samples can be installed with any OS with no changes!
Shanda's big marketing theme for the Box is the Tivo function. There's no VCRs in China (went straight to VCD and DVD), so Shanda thinks that once people get hooked on recording, they can't live without it. This is probably a fantasy as the reason behind the lack of VCRs is also due to the lack of good content to record on the VCRs.
Shanda is going after the high end consumers with the Box. The box will cost anywhere from US$250 to US$600, depending on how much money Shanda wants to lose. Shanda's current market is heavily rural, so a large subscription base from the high end market will balance its earnings. LCD and Plasma TVs in China are selling extremely well right now, so there is definitely a large high end market in China. Why they will buy the Box instead of a Playstation 2 is another question.
Shanda's Box is meant as a home entertainment platform, not just a game console. Aside from games and Tivo, the Box is also meant to integrate other online services. Shanda plans to work with Ctrip (think Expedia) and Taobao (think eBay) on a lot of its content. Shanda also has an instant messaging service in the works. In addition, Shanda recently purchased a 19.5 stake in China's largest portal Sina.
Right now, I'm pretty pessimistic about the Box, because the entire business is a 'tweener. It's trying to be a game console, an e-commerce platform, an entertainment (mp3, streaming movie, regular TV) channel, and Tivo all in one. Maybe it'll get people hooked, but I think it's more likely that people will find the Box to be mediocre for all of those applications and rather purchase them seperately. i.e., a Playstation, a subscription to DTV, and a PC instead of one Shanda Box.
For more news on Shanda, see the following links:
Shanda To Cooperate With Stockstar, Taobao And Ctrip On IPTV: <url:http://www.pacificepoch.com/newsstories/29049 _0_5_0_M/&highlight=shanda&searchcolor=1>
Shanda's Chen Takes A Page From Apple : <url=http://www.pacificepoch.com/newsstories/31745 _0_5_0_M/&highlight=shanda&searchcolor=1>
Shanda To Launch IM Software : <url=http://www.pacificepoch.com/newsstories/30553 _0_5_0_M/&highlight=shanda&searchcolor=1>
Shanda Takes 19.5% Stake In Sina : <url=http://www.pacificepoch.com/newsstories/22379 _0_5_0_M/&highlight=shanda&searchcolor=1>
Shanda Licenses D&D From Turbine : <url=http://www.pacificepoch.com/newsstories/27548 _0_5_0_M/&highlight=shanda&searchcolor=1>
as the article suggested, security clearance backlog contributes greatly to the green card delay. It takes several months to get the security clearance (almost 6 months for mine, but that's partly due to my place of birth and clearance level). I've heard from several security officers at work that now there's a 6 month backlog now to get your clearance, so I got lucky. If this is true, that's 6 months added to the green card application process. This isn't something that can be put aside.
Look, I'm not saying that Athlon is the same as an old pentium. Yes, it's considerably faster, but when you're at the 800Mhz range, does it matter that much? What's the difference between 800Mhz CPU computer and a 500Mhz CPU that has the same hardware for everything else? You might notice some increase early on but with larger files and calculations, more and faster memory, scsi hard drives, and overall more bandwidth will be better than a faster CPU. Why would anyone pay $300 extra for a 1% boost in performance? Yes, RDRAM is much more expensive than PC100/133, but what alternative do you have? DDRAM, sure, I'll just pick that up next time I go on pricwatch. It might not show that much a performance boost on a PIII, but then the PIII FSB is running at the same speed as the PC100/133 RAM. I'm sure you'll see a larger gain from a system who's FSB is twice the speed of the memory. And since DDRAM isn't out yet, what's the alternative?
I'm not sold on RDRAM! I can't even afford RDRAM. I just don't like using old generation memory technology on a "new" generation processor. I'd have waited for KX133, but it's not out yet and I only have time to build a new system during christmas. If I can't wait for PC133 ram, I sure can't wait for DDR. But if the price was not an issue, I'd say the RDRAM is probably faster than the PC100 RAM the Athlons are using.
I can play DVD just as well on my old pentium, hardware decoder card works wonders. I'm not saying that the Athlon didn't make my computer go faster, just that it's not that big a boost without having the rest of the hardware catching up to it. So what if the CPU is a new generation if the motherboard is still using the same stuff as last year?
I just upgraded to an Athlon 500 from an old P200MMX. Did I notice that much speed difference? Only in graphic intensive 3d games. And that's because the video card is 10 times better. It doesn't matter how fast the CPU is, there's just too many bottlenecks right now to slow it down. Now, if the Athlon MB came with support for RDRAM (and the cost of RDRAM goes down significantly) and onboard SCSI, along with an AGP 4X, then it might go faster.
not just the title. They >>might "ban" MS Win2000 in favor of local linux distro in government ministries. That means nothing for the personal market. To most computer owners in China, computers are just status symbol, like the TV before it. They're going to use the operating system most popular in the West, especially US. If US primarily use MS products, the home user will continually pirate.. er obtain MS products to use at home. No matter how much nationalism exists in China, they still don't want to buy a "inferior" product made in China. They want something WESTERN.
read the news! Every country in the WTO has the equivalent of the favored trading status. A few months ago, US and China just signed a deal to let China in. They should join this year. And giving Australia the favored trading status would be useless as they're already part of the WTO.
So could I just drive down to California, buy myself a computer, and get the $400? Can I get away with this cause they have to abide by the California law? Or does this only apply to California residents? Either case, it'll be nice to get my relatives to get me a new computer for $399+tax (yes, tax is included in the $400 deal). I can always strip it for parts. Hmm, and it's on a per-individual basis, not per family. Let's see, 3 relatives 18+ in california=3 new computers free!!
Win98 won't even support SMP, and there's no linux drivers. This is just an attempt to get into the highend video card market with a bad chip. It's like building a dual processor computer using Winchips while your competitors are making them out of PIII/Athlons. Sure, it sounds impressive, dual chips, wow, but it's still old tech masquerading as high tech.
That's a sure sign of a weak card. When you have to put 2 of your best chips in one card to equal the competition, that just means you have a real shoddy chip. I don't see a big performance increase gained over its competition. I'm sure Matrox can put 2 G400 chips on the same board and kill ATi on performance.
oh, wait, help pay for my work enviroment. I still have to pay for my own computer?! Not only does the employer get free workspace, now he gets free computer upgrades and electricity, etc. If not a new "workstation", how about a T1 line to my house?:-)
Here's even better news
on
Etoy Update
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· Score: 1
The top story at wire.com seems to be that Etoys won't be pressing the suit: http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,33330,00 .html Isn't it a coincidence that they did this after the Christmas shopping season is over?
It is true that the GDP/capita's a little low, but if you look around in the major cities, i.e. Shanghai, Beijing, you'll notice that the GDP is significantly higher. Many, if not the majority of the families in metropolitan cities either own or have access to computers. Many have relatives overseas that send over older (but not obsolete) computers. There are also many public computers for use in libraries, etc. You also have to remember that 10,15 year ago, when a decent sized TV cost a family that same percentage of their income, most families went out and bought a TV set. Somehow, they can scrounge up that much money from their savings and earnings to buy that TV/Computer, because their CHILD wants/needs one.
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if it wasn't so ugly.
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A few comments on the Shanda Box:
The "Box" will be one of the best low profile computers available. It's got a DVD drive, a hard drive, a mid-end ATI DirectX9 video card, and 802.11 wireless from Linksys. Just open up the box and upgrade the memory module, and you have a fairly powerful PC. The production versions will probably need some hardware hacks to make it a full PC, but the pre-production samples can be installed with any OS with no changes!
Shanda's big marketing theme for the Box is the Tivo function. There's no VCRs in China (went straight to VCD and DVD), so Shanda thinks that once people get hooked on recording, they can't live without it. This is probably a fantasy as the reason behind the lack of VCRs is also due to the lack of good content to record on the VCRs.
Shanda is going after the high end consumers with the Box. The box will cost anywhere from US$250 to US$600, depending on how much money Shanda wants to lose. Shanda's current market is heavily rural, so a large subscription base from the high end market will balance its earnings. LCD and Plasma TVs in China are selling extremely well right now, so there is definitely a large high end market in China. Why they will buy the Box instead of a Playstation 2 is another question.
Shanda's Box is meant as a home entertainment platform, not just a game console. Aside from games and Tivo, the Box is also meant to integrate other online services. Shanda plans to work with Ctrip (think Expedia) and Taobao (think eBay) on a lot of its content. Shanda also has an instant messaging service in the works. In addition, Shanda recently purchased a 19.5 stake in China's largest portal Sina.
Right now, I'm pretty pessimistic about the Box, because the entire business is a 'tweener. It's trying to be a game console, an e-commerce platform, an entertainment (mp3, streaming movie, regular TV) channel, and Tivo all in one. Maybe it'll get people hooked, but I think it's more likely that people will find the Box to be mediocre for all of those applications and rather purchase them seperately. i.e., a Playstation, a subscription to DTV, and a PC instead of one Shanda Box.
For more news on Shanda, see the following links:
Shanda To Cooperate With Stockstar, Taobao And Ctrip On IPTV: <url:http://www.pacificepoch.com/newsstories/2904
Shanda's Chen Takes A Page From Apple : <url=http://www.pacificepoch.com/newsstories/3174
Shanda To Launch IM Software : <url=http://www.pacificepoch.com/newsstories/3055
Shanda Takes 19.5% Stake In Sina : <url=http://www.pacificepoch.com/newsstories/2237
Shanda Licenses D&D From Turbine : <url=http://www.pacificepoch.com/newsstories/2754
as the article suggested, security clearance backlog contributes greatly to the green card delay. It takes several months to get the security clearance (almost 6 months for mine, but that's partly due to my place of birth and clearance level). I've heard from several security officers at work that now there's a 6 month backlog now to get your clearance, so I got lucky. If this is true, that's 6 months added to the green card application process. This isn't something that can be put aside.
Look, I'm not saying that Athlon is the same as an old pentium. Yes, it's considerably faster, but when you're at the 800Mhz range, does it matter that much? What's the difference between 800Mhz CPU computer and a 500Mhz CPU that has the same hardware for everything else? You might notice some increase early on but with larger files and calculations, more and faster memory, scsi hard drives, and overall more bandwidth will be better than a faster CPU. Why would anyone pay $300 extra for a 1% boost in performance? Yes, RDRAM is much more expensive than PC100/133, but what alternative do you have? DDRAM, sure, I'll just pick that up next time I go on pricwatch. It might not show that much a performance boost on a PIII, but then the PIII FSB is running at the same speed as the PC100/133 RAM. I'm sure you'll see a larger gain from a system who's FSB is twice the speed of the memory. And since DDRAM isn't out yet, what's the alternative?
I'm not sold on RDRAM! I can't even afford RDRAM. I just don't like using old generation memory technology on a "new" generation processor. I'd have waited for KX133, but it's not out yet and I only have time to build a new system during christmas. If I can't wait for PC133 ram, I sure can't wait for DDR. But if the price was not an issue, I'd say the RDRAM is probably faster than the PC100 RAM the Athlons are using.
I can play DVD just as well on my old pentium, hardware decoder card works wonders. I'm not saying that the Athlon didn't make my computer go faster, just that it's not that big a boost without having the rest of the hardware catching up to it. So what if the CPU is a new generation if the motherboard is still using the same stuff as last year?
I just upgraded to an Athlon 500 from an old P200MMX. Did I notice that much speed difference? Only in graphic intensive 3d games. And that's because the video card is 10 times better. It doesn't matter how fast the CPU is, there's just too many bottlenecks right now to slow it down. Now, if the Athlon MB came with support for RDRAM (and the cost of RDRAM goes down significantly) and onboard SCSI, along with an AGP 4X, then it might go faster.
not just the title. They >>might "ban" MS Win2000 in favor of local linux distro in government ministries. That means nothing for the personal market. To most computer owners in China, computers are just status symbol, like the TV before it. They're going to use the operating system most popular in the West, especially US. If US primarily use MS products, the home user will continually pirate.. er obtain MS products to use at home. No matter how much nationalism exists in China, they still don't want to buy a "inferior" product made in China. They want something WESTERN.
read the news! Every country in the WTO has the equivalent of the favored trading status. A few months ago, US and China just signed a deal to let China in. They should join this year. And giving Australia the favored trading status would be useless as they're already part of the WTO.
So could I just drive down to California, buy myself a computer, and get the $400? Can I get away with this cause they have to abide by the California law? Or does this only apply to California residents? Either case, it'll be nice to get my relatives to get me a new computer for $399+tax (yes, tax is included in the $400 deal). I can always strip it for parts. Hmm, and it's on a per-individual basis, not per family. Let's see, 3 relatives 18+ in california=3 new computers free!!
Win98 won't even support SMP, and there's no linux drivers. This is just an attempt to get into the highend video card market with a bad chip. It's like building a dual processor computer using Winchips while your competitors are making them out of PIII/Athlons. Sure, it sounds impressive, dual chips, wow, but it's still old tech masquerading as high tech.
That's a sure sign of a weak card. When you have to put 2 of your best chips in one card to equal the competition, that just means you have a real shoddy chip. I don't see a big performance increase gained over its competition. I'm sure Matrox can put 2 G400 chips on the same board and kill ATi on performance.
oh, wait, help pay for my work enviroment. I still have to pay for my own computer?! Not only does the employer get free workspace, now he gets free computer upgrades and electricity, etc. If not a new "workstation", how about a T1 line to my house? :-)
The top story at wire.com seems to be that Etoys won't be pressing the suit: http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,33330,00 .html Isn't it a coincidence that they did this after the Christmas shopping season is over?
It is true that the GDP/capita's a little low, but if you look around in the major cities, i.e. Shanghai, Beijing, you'll notice that the GDP is significantly higher. Many, if not the majority of the families in metropolitan cities either own or have access to computers. Many have relatives overseas that send over older (but not obsolete) computers. There are also many public computers for use in libraries, etc. You also have to remember that 10,15 year ago, when a decent sized TV cost a family that same percentage of their income, most families went out and bought a TV set. Somehow, they can scrounge up that much money from their savings and earnings to buy that TV/Computer, because their CHILD wants/needs one.
Anybody got the idea that some general sitting in his office wanted a new computer cause his old one can't play Quake III?