World of Catch-up

The mobile phone industry has become a universe where every major vendor is playing catch up with at least one other competitor vendor, and of course every vendor is playing catch up with Apple and IPhone. For instance look at Google's hurried and shallow effort of competing with Siri, I admire Google for a lot of things but they need to stop with this tendency of launching and maintaining products in beta mode forever. Information technology industry is not in its infancy anymore, Google needs to realize that and change its Modus Operandi.

Companies like HTC and Samsung also need to realize that their time to market strategies will not win them market share forever, sooner or later they will need to come up with true innovations to maintain sales numbers in the long haul. That is how Nokia did it in the nineties, though they too were limited to innovating hardware and aesthetics, at least those were the innovations that were accepted by the market. Sure they tried Symbian, engage and what not but none of them were really worthy enough in the first place. One fine day came Apple and changed the rules of the game, it was no longer about the phone, what mattered most was the ecosystem. In one stroke of genius (years of R&D too) Nokia's dominance was reduced to a frightened and sinking ahip. Anyways all this was not my motivation when I thought about writing this post.

Has anybody noticed that this mobile phone boom has brought a new trend to the industry, the current flagship product is introduced by the company's CEO to the whole world, and my first reaction to this trend is " How can these CEOs be so damn stupid and naive". Yeah sure it worked for Steve Jobs but that is only because he was so good at it, he believed in his products and he believed only because he had such a big part to play in designing these products. I have seen so many product launch presentations in the last three years from various CEOs and each one of them (Barring Jobs of course) has stinked worse than a stale fish. Even Tim Cook's presentaion of IPhone 4S was barely a malformed shadow of Steve's cultivated salesmanship. Every time I reach the end of a product launch by a CEO I am already half demotivated of even considering the product. SJ gave a lot of good to the technology industry but I think this was his sly joke to get even for all the bad the industry did to him. As if he is looking from the heavens and saying "Right, top that", and he knows noone ever will since all these CEOs are not salesmen, they are rich and learned men trying to sell products they don't really believe in or care about, all they care about is sales numbers. Of course, they fail at it miserably, that is what happens when you imitate competition blatantly. You don't win a boxing match by wearing same trunks as your opponent, you win it by training harder than your opponent and using your head better than your opponent.

Don't try to imitate SJ, instead learn from his philosphy of never playing catch up with competition. Do your own thing and try to perfect it with each iteration.


Ciao

Relaxed and Rejuvenated

I am back from my vacation/bachelor's party (for a friend) and all pumped up for 2012.

The high points of the vacation were,

1. Arambol beach, it felt divine to be on this beach. With less than hundred people around, a really affordable shack, fantastic weather and cool fireworks it was THE MOMENT of the whole vacation.

2. I read the book The sense of an Ending on my way back to Delhi. I do read books for leisure and recreation from time to time but I can easily say this is the best book I have ever read. If Da Vinci Code was like 12 hour long s*x romp of thrills and mystery then this book was like 5 hour long foreplay of life and feelings, tingling and memory worthy page after page.

3. Experiencing Lust, betrayal, Gerascophobia and Peace. (in that order and each catalyzed by a distinct person, I know it sounds cliched)

4. Fastest kiss of my life ( <20 minutes into the meeting), though it might not have been won absolutely fairly.

The vacation was very different than what I had anticipated or hoped for and I liked the version that happened to me much better. These five days helped me realize so much more about life and for a change it came through external sources. Usually I introspect and live my life based on what I learn from the introspection and don't really care much for the world around me, of course it is way too self-centered but then that is how I am, I call it Individualism.

2011 had made me realize I was doing just fine (maybe even great) being single, I think life is simpler when I am single. I get to make all the decisions based on what I want and how I feel in that moment of time, neither am I dependent on anybody nor do I have to think of dependence of others on me and I like both those aspects individually as well as a combo. It is also not just about freedom, the very technology I develop (Mobile Phone) should definitely get some of the blame for making me averse to all this relationship business, the concept of constantly being-in-touch over text messages and Skype irritates me and for sure I cannot do that anymore. However I have realized or been made to realize I will be very very alone soon enough and at the same time I am also not ready to give up my well cultivated go-solo attitude. The conclusion of realization being that friends will neither be there nor be enough forever, so the only unanswered question as of now is "WHEN and with WHOM?".

Enough about companionship, the five days also proved to me trust and leverage are as fickle as an infant child. The best of your friends will betray you and the worst of the strangers will surprise you with kind acts and that is life so no point complaining about the bad, take each day as it comes and try to be as happy as possible for the good. It is really stupid to give up on somebody for one bad mistake when you have been with them for years treading life in a "happily ever after" mode and no I am not talking about an ex-girlfriend. Sometimes it is better to loose a battle to win the war.

I expect this vacation experience will alter my way of life in a significant and important manner and it all started with one simple question from my friend on the eve of my birthday,the question was something like "What were my biggest moments between 8th Jan 2011 and 8th Jan 2012". After answering the question I realized the moments that had mattered (since they came first to thought and recollection process) had nothing to do with my biggest achievements (in the traditional sense of the meaning of the word achievement) of the year, instead it had everything to do with the smallest of experiences and most innate of feelings. To be perfectly honest I completely surprised my own self with those answers and I am sure I was not even drunk by then ;), FYI in my day to day life all I talk about is technology, ambition, money and of course pretty girls.

A picture of me and my friends from the beach,




Work oh work I am back to embrace you for the rest of the year.

Ciao

2012 starts with GOA

I must confess 2011 was a better year than what I had expected it to be, though I had very moderate expectations to begin with. It was not one of my best years but for sure it could have been worse. Career wise I made a few ripples, got to work on a couple of exciting projects. Personal life wise I am where I was at the end of 2010 i.e. nowhere, but that is absolutely fine with me for now. Home and family wise everything is calm and peaceful, all in all I would label 2011 as my best year in the last three years. Thank you god for this breather after 2009 and 2010.

A couple of my friends asked me about my new year resolution and after some thought I could only come up with the most obvious one, getting back to where I belong in my career (as of now I am a few thousand miles away :D ).

As a custom I have stayed indoors for the night of 31st Dec three years in a row now and 2012 was started the same way. Nevertheless January has to be made happening and so tonight I am heading to Goa for five days of vacation :) .

May 2012 be the year where the world finally starts to move towards peace and prosperity.

Ciao