I think it depends if they are serious about improving their "Games for Windows Live" now "Xbox Games Marketplace PC" experience.
The customer experience (to date) on PCs is not as good as what Steam offers (IMHO).
Their direct download game offerings on PCs (to date) are not marketed well, though this is probably since MS is consciously promoting the Xbox over PC gaming.
I think if MS is serious about selling PC gaming, they'd improve the experience and their marketing of PC gaming. But, I think they may have better luck when tablet/PC/console games converge more - ie, widespread Onlive or Gaikai type gaming (could be a while before that takes off, however).
Not to be pedantic, but flashing one's wealth around has been in fashion for a very long time (likely since humanity was living in caves).
The iPod, perhaps, is one of the devices that really made a piece of consumer tech into mainstream iconic fashion that was popular among a very wide range of people. Probably not the first such device (among transistor radios, cars, televisions, etc) - but probably the defining mp3 player of its generation.
I disagree with the notion that MMS is necessary and everyone uses it - I have never used MMS, neither do any of my friends, and as such I don't miss the feature at all.
However, I'm living in the US and MMS plans/services here seem very overpriced to me.
Perhaps you live somewhere where the MMS rates are reasonable and there's been mass acceptance.
Regardless, it doesn't seem like it would be very hard for apple to implement MMS support; especially considering that Windows Mobile devices have offered that functionality for years now.
Silverlight does not work on PowerPC based macs.
Such computers were sold until January 2006; and in my experience PowerPC macs are still effective for most tasks; perhaps with the exceptions of gaming and running Silverlight.
One thing that seems telling (at this point in time, anyway) is that in the ads, MS is only pushing their image.
There is nothing mentioned about any products or features or any specific user experiences. If this is all the advertising campaign is, it's underwhelming, saying "our products may not be competitive but hey, look, we're a funny, nice company!"
As I understand it, however, this is just getting started and there are many more spots/ads to come.
While Apple has been notably very successful over the past 10 years, all (nearly all?) of their manufacturing is done through contract manufacturers. It is entirely possible that the same factories in Taiwan and mainland China build dell laptops and apple laptops on the same day.
Given that Apple consistently charges more for its product than Dell (or others in the consumer PC space), it's likely that they spec out some higher-grade parts in their systems & may be more involved in QC.
My point is, although Dell & Apple are performing quite differently, their overseas manufacturing strategy has to be nearly the same.
Design & marketing are making the difference for the time being.
Dell probably needs to do this to remain competitive & adjust to the declining desktop PC market; in my opinion they should keep some manufacturing capability as further down the road it could become an advantage rather than a liability. Keeping factories running is expensive, especially if they aren't busy enough.
It's also telling/glaring that Baidu.com is not being held to the same standards. That site even has a specialized mp3 search on it - http://mp3.baidu.com/.
Large governments do tend to engage in nationalistic hypocracy, however, so I guess this shouldn't be terribly surprising.
Have you been to China lately? It is attractive to a lot of foreign workers. Some ex-pat postitions have salaries comprable to the US, but the general cost of living in China is still much lower, so one can live a better lifestyle or just save more money. The general pace of life is rapid; it's good for people who are sick of a daily routine in the US that is essentially the same every day. The nightlife can be a lot of fun - bars are plentiful and generally cheaper than in the US. For foreign males that are still single, there are a lot of open-minded attractive girls. For single foreign females, it can be a little harder to hook up, but they still seem to enjoy the lifestyle on the whole.
There's definitely a double-standard for foreigners vs locals, and I am not defending that often it seems that Chinese citizens (especially those who are not wealthy) seem to be treated as 2nd-class citizens. I am just pointing out that China today (and probably for the past 5-8 years) is an increasingly attractive place for foreign talent and the number of foreigners working in China is growing significantly every year.
Just called apple support in China (where I'm located at the moment). In my case, even though I couldn't confirm the serial number online, since it was in the range of affected batteries, I was told just to bring my bad battery in to an official apple care service center in either Guangzhou or Hong Kong and they'd give me a replacement. I'd imagine that should be true as well in other countries.
Another issue that strikes home is the issue of DRM - not as much from publishers as from governments.
Digital format books are great in that many people can simultaneously view the same file at the same time; yet (not unlike the internet now), it wouldn't be too difficult for a government-librarian to selectively filter or block content. It's a little scary that if there was such a centralized database, it could be filtered and no-one would know. Still, such a library, even if filtered, could still benefit so many; it's hard to think of arguments in good conscience to contradict this idea.
(of course, like the internet now, those intent on getting around filters and blocks could probably do so, but it won't be the masses)
You can also do something pretty similar without a wi-fi connection, and without a microsoft OS phone; you would just need a phone with with a browser and a WAP connection...
There is a service at http://www.jajah.com/ which allows you (via the internet) to arrange VOIP calls between two landlines or mobile lines. It's not free but pretty cheap; rates are just about equivalent to skypeout rates.
Not to sound like an advertisement; but it seems like there are still other services that may still come out before everyone needs to:
1. Admit defeat to the MS juggernaut
2. Rush out and get a brand-new MS phone or PDA
Obviously, for those of you that already have such equipment, great...
But I'll hold out with my phone that I got "only" 6 months ago.
(Yeah, I'm aware that there are people in S. Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong that may have already gone through 6 handsets in that period of time).
In China QQ may be the most popular protocol, but MSN has to be right up there as well - nearly every one of my Chinese co-workers has an MSN account (and most of them have QQ accounts as well).
Since Windows is by far the dominant operating system in China (probably helps that pirate copies are available everywhere for around 1 USD) and MSN is the defualt messenger client there, I don't think that MSN Messenger's market share is hurting in the PRC, relatively speaking.
I don't have many Chinese friends that use Yahoo Messenger, however - unless they need to chat on it with clients in the USA who prefer it...
What TFA fails to mention is that this is a concern raised in Japan about technology from a Japanese company.
Don't forget that the Japanese have had 1.3 megapixel or greater quality cameras in their phones for years, and this isn't the first time that there's been articles about bookstore / magazine store owners (allegedly) complaining about people abusing technology in a way that might affect their revenue.
This being the same Japan where the video game industry gets its panties in a bunch over used game sales, video game rentals are illegal, music cd rentals are okay, and importing of foreign-produced cd's is now illegal - the point is, the copyright standards and the way the gov't and corporations twist the laws to fill their pockets are a bit different than those in the rest of the world. Jumping to conclusions about these devices based on complaints probably pressured by the bureaucatic excesses of one gov't seems a bit premature at this point.
Re:where next ? the backstreet markets of course !
on
iTMS Launches in Japan
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· Score: 1
What about the rental cd market? According to my friends from (and living in) Japan, many stores (for a small fee) will let you rent a cd for a couple days. While I know that some aspects of Japanese society (generally speaking) are more honest than others (and therefore may not consider this), wouldn't that still be the cheapest way to max out your MP3 collection? Just rent/borrow, rip to your hard drive, and repeat...
I wasn't trying to make a judgement about your choice to give it to your child, I am just a little curious as to whether he was able to control it, what kind of music was on it, or if it's more of a chew toy than music device? (it's been a while since I was that age and I'm still a few years away from having kids of my own).
Good on you for supervising your child...can't debate that!
I also really wasn't 100% sure when you posted your comment whether you really meant a 1 (one) year old or perhaps just meant to type 11...
Just wondering - but why does your 1 year old even need a MP3 player? Wouldn't the headphones be a choking hazard anyway?
(but whatever works for you)...
Remember when Apple announced the mac mini and one of Sony's key people was there?
This prompted speculation about Apple and Sony collaborating for a Tivo-like service?
What if Apple and Sony were combined for this movie-related service effort? Download movies from sony (using apple software) onto your mac mini (or viao) and if you like sync with your PSP for on the go viewing.
The PSP and ipod, while both being able to play MP3's are distinct enough devices that each shouldn't hack too badly away at the other's market share, no?
Although Apple and Sony's respective product lines have a lot of overlap and are in direct competition, (and may not encourage much co-operation between the two companies), they could both gain a lot if they were able to combine their expertise. Perhaps that is a bit naive on my part.
I don't think that the situation in India (or China) is going to resemble that in the US for some time (if ever).
While a lot of manufactuers may not give much of a shit about the network providers in developing nations, I think that the Motorolas, Nokias, and Samsungs give a shit about the retail markets in India and China that sell to the consumer directly.
This arrangement is probably more profitable too, since they can charge full price per phone.
There amount of cell phone advertising (by manufacturer) that goes on in Asia - billboards everywhere, magazine ads, bus advertisements, etc is huge, since instead of there being an influence on carrier competition there is more about whichever brand of phone is cooler or more functional. Young people may change handsets every 2 or 3 months in places like Hong Kong and Singapore.
With 1 billion potential mobile phone users in India and China respectively, most every manufacturer wants a piece of the action. Already mobile phone use in these countries outstrips that of landlines.
It's just a different situation in Asia.
But it seems that most people involved are satisifed with the present arangement.
I think that the shuffle is within the price range of a lot of Chinese consumers. (People in the target market in China tend to buy cell phones for 4 times the Shuffle's cost with little thought every 6 months or so).
It's been on sale for a while (I'm in Shenzhen, China), people seemed to be interested.
The 512 MB version is also now given away with purchases of laptop computers.
It probably will never catch on with the majority of people (who are content with their 20 dollar AAA-powered 128 MB flash player), but it should do fine with the luxury-goods crowd.
A little off-topic: One reason that the ipod hasn't really taken off here though is since iTunes isn't really supported - if you don't have a US credit card you can't buy anything that way...and without the store intact, iTunes is basically just a jukebox application (which is pretty good)...but maybe the average computer-owning Chinese won't see much value in having to add another music player application.
With sketchy contact info like that (all based out of a Hotel address), it seems that "Luxpro" is little more than a Taiwanese trading company.
Tom Lin is probably just a middleman - he knows (and perhaps directly works with) some producers of MP3 products on the mainland and markets and sells the product himself so he can get a larger markup.
Slashdot Mirror
I think it depends if they are serious about improving their "Games for Windows Live" now "Xbox Games Marketplace PC" experience. The customer experience (to date) on PCs is not as good as what Steam offers (IMHO). Their direct download game offerings on PCs (to date) are not marketed well, though this is probably since MS is consciously promoting the Xbox over PC gaming. I think if MS is serious about selling PC gaming, they'd improve the experience and their marketing of PC gaming. But, I think they may have better luck when tablet/PC/console games converge more - ie, widespread Onlive or Gaikai type gaming (could be a while before that takes off, however).
Not to be pedantic, but flashing one's wealth around has been in fashion for a very long time (likely since humanity was living in caves). The iPod, perhaps, is one of the devices that really made a piece of consumer tech into mainstream iconic fashion that was popular among a very wide range of people. Probably not the first such device (among transistor radios, cars, televisions, etc) - but probably the defining mp3 player of its generation.
I think that "abomination" of a film would be more appropriate, given the Dune discussion.
However, I'm living in the US and MMS plans/services here seem very overpriced to me. Perhaps you live somewhere where the MMS rates are reasonable and there's been mass acceptance.
Regardless, it doesn't seem like it would be very hard for apple to implement MMS support; especially considering that Windows Mobile devices have offered that functionality for years now.
Silverlight does not work on PowerPC based macs. Such computers were sold until January 2006; and in my experience PowerPC macs are still effective for most tasks; perhaps with the exceptions of gaming and running Silverlight.
There is nothing mentioned about any products or features or any specific user experiences. If this is all the advertising campaign is, it's underwhelming, saying "our products may not be competitive but hey, look, we're a funny, nice company!"
As I understand it, however, this is just getting started and there are many more spots/ads to come.
While Apple has been notably very successful over the past 10 years, all (nearly all?) of their manufacturing is done through contract manufacturers. It is entirely possible that the same factories in Taiwan and mainland China build dell laptops and apple laptops on the same day. Given that Apple consistently charges more for its product than Dell (or others in the consumer PC space), it's likely that they spec out some higher-grade parts in their systems & may be more involved in QC. My point is, although Dell & Apple are performing quite differently, their overseas manufacturing strategy has to be nearly the same. Design & marketing are making the difference for the time being. Dell probably needs to do this to remain competitive & adjust to the declining desktop PC market; in my opinion they should keep some manufacturing capability as further down the road it could become an advantage rather than a liability. Keeping factories running is expensive, especially if they aren't busy enough.
Large governments do tend to engage in nationalistic hypocracy, however, so I guess this shouldn't be terribly surprising.
Have you been to China lately? It is attractive to a lot of foreign workers. Some ex-pat postitions have salaries comprable to the US, but the general cost of living in China is still much lower, so one can live a better lifestyle or just save more money. The general pace of life is rapid; it's good for people who are sick of a daily routine in the US that is essentially the same every day. The nightlife can be a lot of fun - bars are plentiful and generally cheaper than in the US. For foreign males that are still single, there are a lot of open-minded attractive girls. For single foreign females, it can be a little harder to hook up, but they still seem to enjoy the lifestyle on the whole.
There's definitely a double-standard for foreigners vs locals, and I am not defending that often it seems that Chinese citizens (especially those who are not wealthy) seem to be treated as 2nd-class citizens. I am just pointing out that China today (and probably for the past 5-8 years) is an increasingly attractive place for foreign talent and the number of foreigners working in China is growing significantly every year.
Just called apple support in China (where I'm located at the moment). In my case, even though I couldn't confirm the serial number online, since it was in the range of affected batteries, I was told just to bring my bad battery in to an official apple care service center in either Guangzhou or Hong Kong and they'd give me a replacement. I'd imagine that should be true as well in other countries.
Me three. 6C536.
Another issue that strikes home is the issue of DRM - not as much from publishers as from governments.
Digital format books are great in that many people can simultaneously view the same file at the same time; yet (not unlike the internet now), it wouldn't be too difficult for a government-librarian to selectively filter or block content. It's a little scary that if there was such a centralized database, it could be filtered and no-one would know. Still, such a library, even if filtered, could still benefit so many; it's hard to think of arguments in good conscience to contradict this idea.
(of course, like the internet now, those intent on getting around filters and blocks could probably do so, but it won't be the masses)
Step 3:
instead of patching IE holes and leaks, allow spyware market to develop and thrive.
Step 4:
Introduce MS-branded solution to these problems
___
No sig is good enough for the moment...
You can also do something pretty similar without a wi-fi connection, and without a microsoft OS phone; you would just need a phone with with a browser and a WAP connection...
There is a service at http://www.jajah.com/ which allows you (via the internet) to arrange VOIP calls between two landlines or mobile lines. It's not free but pretty cheap; rates are just about equivalent to skypeout rates.
Not to sound like an advertisement; but it seems like there are still other services that may still come out before everyone needs to:
1. Admit defeat to the MS juggernaut
2. Rush out and get a brand-new MS phone or PDA
Obviously, for those of you that already have such equipment, great... But I'll hold out with my phone that I got "only" 6 months ago.
(Yeah, I'm aware that there are people in S. Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong that may have already gone through 6 handsets in that period of time).
In China QQ may be the most popular protocol, but MSN has to be right up there as well - nearly every one of my Chinese co-workers has an MSN account (and most of them have QQ accounts as well).
Since Windows is by far the dominant operating system in China (probably helps that pirate copies are available everywhere for around 1 USD) and MSN is the defualt messenger client there, I don't think that MSN Messenger's market share is hurting in the PRC, relatively speaking.
I don't have many Chinese friends that use Yahoo Messenger, however - unless they need to chat on it with clients in the USA who prefer it...
What TFA fails to mention is that this is a concern raised in Japan about technology from a Japanese company.
Don't forget that the Japanese have had 1.3 megapixel or greater quality cameras in their phones for years, and this isn't the first time that there's been articles about bookstore / magazine store owners (allegedly) complaining about people abusing technology in a way that might affect their revenue.
This being the same Japan where the video game industry gets its panties in a bunch over used game sales, video game rentals are illegal, music cd rentals are okay, and importing of foreign-produced cd's is now illegal - the point is, the copyright standards and the way the gov't and corporations twist the laws to fill their pockets are a bit different than those in the rest of the world. Jumping to conclusions about these devices based on complaints probably pressured by the bureaucatic excesses of one gov't seems a bit premature at this point.
What about the rental cd market? According to my friends from (and living in) Japan, many stores (for a small fee) will let you rent a cd for a couple days. While I know that some aspects of Japanese society (generally speaking) are more honest than others (and therefore may not consider this), wouldn't that still be the cheapest way to max out your MP3 collection? Just rent/borrow, rip to your hard drive, and repeat...
I see.
I wasn't trying to make a judgement about your choice to give it to your child, I am just a little curious as to whether he was able to control it, what kind of music was on it, or if it's more of a chew toy than music device? (it's been a while since I was that age and I'm still a few years away from having kids of my own).
Good on you for supervising your child...can't debate that!
I also really wasn't 100% sure when you posted your comment whether you really meant a 1 (one) year old or perhaps just meant to type 11...
Anyway, cheers!
Just wondering - but why does your 1 year old even need a MP3 player? Wouldn't the headphones be a choking hazard anyway? (but whatever works for you)...
To be fair, what would happen if one had to "recompile" the 'open-source' bacteria?
Win-win? As opposed to *nix-*nix?
I'll be here all night...please tip your waitresses!Remember when Apple announced the mac mini and one of Sony's key people was there?
This prompted speculation about Apple and Sony collaborating for a Tivo-like service?
What if Apple and Sony were combined for this movie-related service effort? Download movies from sony (using apple software) onto your mac mini (or viao) and if you like sync with your PSP for on the go viewing.
The PSP and ipod, while both being able to play MP3's are distinct enough devices that each shouldn't hack too badly away at the other's market share, no?
Although Apple and Sony's respective product lines have a lot of overlap and are in direct competition, (and may not encourage much co-operation between the two companies), they could both gain a lot if they were able to combine their expertise. Perhaps that is a bit naive on my part.
I don't think that the situation in India (or China) is going to resemble that in the US for some time (if ever).
While a lot of manufactuers may not give much of a shit about the network providers in developing nations, I think that the Motorolas, Nokias, and Samsungs give a shit about the retail markets in India and China that sell to the consumer directly.
This arrangement is probably more profitable too, since they can charge full price per phone.
There amount of cell phone advertising (by manufacturer) that goes on in Asia - billboards everywhere, magazine ads, bus advertisements, etc is huge, since instead of there being an influence on carrier competition there is more about whichever brand of phone is cooler or more functional. Young people may change handsets every 2 or 3 months in places like Hong Kong and Singapore.
With 1 billion potential mobile phone users in India and China respectively, most every manufacturer wants a piece of the action. Already mobile phone use in these countries outstrips that of landlines.
It's just a different situation in Asia.
But it seems that most people involved are satisifed with the present arangement.
I think that the shuffle is within the price range of a lot of Chinese consumers. (People in the target market in China tend to buy cell phones for 4 times the Shuffle's cost with little thought every 6 months or so).
It's been on sale for a while (I'm in Shenzhen, China), people seemed to be interested.
The 512 MB version is also now given away with purchases of laptop computers.
It probably will never catch on with the majority of people (who are content with their 20 dollar AAA-powered 128 MB flash player), but it should do fine with the luxury-goods crowd.
A little off-topic:
One reason that the ipod hasn't really taken off here though is since iTunes isn't really supported - if you don't have a US credit card you can't buy anything that way...and without the store intact, iTunes is basically just a jukebox application (which is pretty good)...but maybe the average computer-owning Chinese won't see much value in having to add another music player application.
With sketchy contact info like that (all based out of a Hotel address), it seems that "Luxpro" is little more than a Taiwanese trading company.
Tom Lin is probably just a middleman - he knows (and perhaps directly works with) some producers of MP3 products on the mainland and markets and sells the product himself so he can get a larger markup.