Oskar's Weblog

In year 2009, iPhone and Apple did shake the cell phone market, Apple changed the rule of consumer cellular phone market and wake several new and old rivals up. Some people say apple is worthless and the phone sucks( compare to new google phone) but in fact when you think deeply, they did a lot of things and give in a lot.

The very important thing about the product sucess is marketing and the market of the product. Apple did very good job on iPod, as well as iPhone itself. When you talk to people, a lot of people like to get an iPhone is because of the easy to use, the situation just like game console nitendo’s wii; It gets in every market. Thats what apple does and it did make the image of iPhone is fun, easy n hip, after all it is a straight of apple Inc. itself(from Macintosh 1984 to now)

Beyond the target market, functionalitiy is playing the big part of it. When you see the iPhone, you only see several icons on the screen and one button on the front; one on the top and two on the side. Also it has the most important silent switch on the side as well, that’s why the product to get with, eye candy and less button. And the product comes out a fun, hip and easy.

That’s the other example of good marketing product, which is blackberry; Few days ago, when I talked to the lady and she claimed that she wants a blackberry but she stuck with her new Nokia E72. well that E72 looks pretty much the same as blackberry, also have bottom 40 plastic keyboard, and fake trackpad. So I asked her why she wants blackberry, and she replied that because of blackberry messenger and she added everyone in office are using blackberry with blackberry messenger, she wants to get into the cloud, and yes that is the reason of some blackberry rookie to get their first blackberry. Blackberry use the other approach to marketing their product and i think it calls professional image, a newpaper survey claimed 80% of first and business class passengers are using blackberry, only less than 10% used iPhone. That’s the reason of blackberry target on that market, professional and “it just work”, it is an oppsite side of the iPhone, cus when you ask those guy, they will say “I don’t need a fancy things in my phone, I just need what I need”. In fact, Blackberry did fail one time, they tried to enter iphone’s market(blackberry storm) but they fail so they go back to their position and unveiled bold next generation. Because the “bottom 40″ plastic keyboard is one major factor of the device itself  looks professional, it just like a keyboard is a icon of the “work hard” people. Lucky Blackberry did learn that failure and back on their track.

What about android? I think it is hard to succes, because of the position of the market is blur and the target seems wrong as well, especially they have too many cone products on the market, and they are lack of position and target market at the beginning too. In fact Android want to get some of iphone’s market, such as easy, hip and fun, but the problem is they have to many vendor, HTC, samsung, Sony… etc, it is hard to create a image if hip and fun in different vendor, the customer only tend to choose the cell phone by outlook and the price, not by the OS itself, also the OS is too “customize”, once the solid OS is too “customize”, user is hard to learn the OS in the first place, and what that mean is the limitation of  ”customize” is good for the product and the user. A very good example of Android phone screen unlock and  view apps UI flow, they let vendor and user customize it, which is good things but it make the first time user have a difficult time to learn it, that is the downside of the android. Also because of different vendor, they can’t do things like blackberry does in professional field.

The future of cellular phone battle will become two separate way one is to high end and the other is to the rest. In the high end field, Apple and blackberry will remain their good hand in battle, and windows and google will have to counter them, but they have a lot of things to do, from their innovation to the marketing plan, and the key to success is do something different to blackberry and iPhone, not just follow their step.

I guess I had too many chinese and political topic in recent posts, it is all because of the political issues in Hong Kong, I think I should stand up and say my words. Anyway, back to some interesting things… geek’s gadget. It seems has a lot of rumors about tablet device from Apple, for my opinion I love to see one and I “might” get one instantly; Thats because I love to see how Apple make the thing workable and differently;

In this couple year, a lot of company unveiled different kind of tablet, netbook, and portable media play, seems none of its success, it just the era before iPod unveiled in 2002. When more of the products don’t success, means the companies still searching the way to make a selling point of the products. Thats why iPod is success, they found a very solid selling point, easy to use, easy to transfer.  So I hope the latest creation has similar idea and find the very solid selling point.

That is a mock of of iSlate or iPad… or whatever the name is.

lets see what Apple can do in 26 Jan 09, oh btw my iPhone app is on track now, just finishing fixing some xml backend file and now is on track. cool.

大家記得上年的時候，香港政府推出十大基建，六大產業？到底那 十大基建，六大產業是什麼，實行了多少？先不談六大產業，因為老實說，根本就是空口說白話。在十大基建中其中一環就是廣深港鐵路，也就是大多市民意識到“80後”開始上街運動的開始。

我本人的立場是反對的，不是因為什麼“為反而反”，而是因為直到今天為止，還沒有人能說服我去支持罷了。最令人討厭的是人們總將好多的常用詞放在口中而不知其意。

“邊緣化”﹣那是政府高官，建制議員，和被“和諧”傳播媒介的口頭禪；那麼可謂“邊緣化”？大概意思是指，由重要變成不大重要。而香港正就是面對這個問題，而我是認同的，但香港政府的解決方法就是不大認同。

“地緣問題”﹣那是我題及過，而香港正因為“地緣位置問題”而作出興建廣深港鐵路的題案。

簡單地說， 邊緣化不會因起了一條鐵路就會解決，而邊緣化的問題更加是深層次的問題，那是牽涉香港和內地的政治，經濟政策問題。

支持廣深港鐵路的一班人常說如果興建了，那便會加快與內地融合。但是的事實真的是這樣嗎？那根本是不能預計的，何況深圳，廣州區域跟香港的發展不是向取長補短的政策，而是拿香港的長處做借鏡，發展，與香港爭一日長短。前海發展就是一個例子，前海發展根本是香港運輸，物流業的毒針，發展了前海無疑香港的貨櫃碼頭會比下去，因為中國內地的工資和地租比香港的低，當貨品的目的地或出發點是內地的話，那選擇前海也是正常。而且，別忘記現有的對手鹽田港，事實也告訴我(我家是出口公司）很多歐美客戶已經轉到在鹽田港出貨，所以多再一個港口，香港的物流業真的會被殺掉。那就是我所說的“邊緣化”和“地緣位置問題”，支持興建廣深港鐵路的人別像處女般那麼天真吧，廣深港鐵路只是像一個形像，只是說給人聽“看，我門是有顧及香港，只是香港不爭氣而且”。起了廣深港鐵路根本就解決不到那些問題。而解決 “邊緣化”是要政府真的為港人著想，為港人爭取，不是去做小狗搖擺尾巴，而是要將自己的籌碼放上桌上與週邊城市討價還價。

有些人會說，那和廣深港鐵路是兩碼子的事；而我第二個論點就是二十多公里的鐵路，快十分鐘我車程，值600﹣700億嗎？當年港英政府興建機場，中方和今年坐在立法會支持廣深港鐵路的人都說反對，還說英國想挖空香港才離開(更難聽的我也聽過，可惜我忘記了），港英政府用1553億興建了機場，新市鎮，鐵路，中區填海計劃和道路等等（可以到 http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/香港機場核心計劃 閱讀 ）共十個核心工程，而機場鐵路還比今天的要廣深港鐵路長，大概35公里，和7個站。那為何今天要的興建廣深港鐵路會貴那麼多？若計算通貨膨脹都不到大概10倍的增多吧。還有當年反對建機場的為何今天會支持那麼高成本的興建？是有內幕，還是向中共刷鞋子？ 還有快數十分鐘的真的會帶來多一點的遊客嗎？

香港只是一個非常小的都市，小學生也清楚國香港只有1104km^2，由香港的東面去到西面，或是南面去到北面， 都不過40km，那麼小的城市真的要興建一條做價貴的鐵路嗎？當年我在渥太華的時侯也沒有像那樣的鐵路，在多倫多的時候也是坐地下鐵路由North York去Union Station，如果今天香港政府理論是對的話，多倫多（比香港大三至四倍）和渥太華早就要興建鐵路吧。我也不見得如興建廣深港鐵路會令遊客量“大大上升”。

還有環保嗎？我只能對你說，不！高速鐵路不會環保，簡單的說，越快的交通工具的能量轉換比率往往比普通速度的比率為高，而因為高速轉動的物料更換週期是更加快，換句話說，當運行所要的環保成本比起普通鐵路是高很多。

最後不起廣深港鐵路真的是”必定會削弱香港o既競爭力“，我只會跟支持者說“誰能保證？”；認清香港問題所在，如有作家說“只看著一片樹葉，就看不到整個森林”；不要將未來的事說成事實，不起的話只不過會“可能削弱香港的競爭力”，那麼600-700億是值得放下作賭注嗎？大多市民正因為“多數傳播媒介”和政府說“必定”那二字，就認為將600-700億不是放下作賭注，我跟支持者說，有那一種投資是百份百有回報的？弄清事實，600﹣700億是一個賭注，或好聽一點投資。而且請一些人認清一個事實，投資者，外國公司不會為有或沒有鐵路去做最終決定在那地點開立公司，反而空氣，環保為更是關鍵。

不理怎樣也好，那廣深港鐵路的議案一定通過，不是因為支持的人多，而是那政府和立法會規章問題，保皇的一定勝利，那是人，只小我灰心的地方，一個社會可以那樣嗎？那是叫民主嗎？小市民的我根本無能為力，看著傳播媒介的不公平報導，我便更加的氣忿不平。金錢真的是那麼重要嗎？政府為人民服務的精神去了那裡？中國人的美得是不是被自己遺忘了？那天我很高興因為Google做了一個例了，錢不是所有，公義才是精神。

When I look inside the technology gadget, I really like to see some simply design, that why I love Apple’s product, their product always use less compound as they can, i.e. the circuits board, and the screw. You always hard to find a screw on body of the product, thats the beauty. What about underneath?

Here is an example of the hardware engineering to show how to make things easier:

Here is the HTC’s new NEXUS one, it has 20 compounds,

What about iPhone 3GS? It has 9 compounds only(I included the sim card which I m not suppose to be) .

I m making this up, to make less compound underneath is way difficult to put numerous amount of compounds underneath the case.  Thats the beauty and thats the engineer should think of, simple is the best.

Photo credit: ifixit.com.

I love what Steve Jobs said… my another fav. quote:

“every once in a while a revolutionary product comes alone that change everything, and Apple has been, well, first of all once have be fortunate if you get to work on just one of this in your career. Apple has been very fortunate introduce few of those into the world, in 1984 Apple introduce Macintoch, it didn’t just change Apple, it changed the whole industary. In 2001 we introduced iPod, it didn’t change the way we listen music, it changed the whole music industary. ”

Apple and Steve Jobs do influence people, without them we might not have computer, without them we might still thinking how to listen digital music on road, without them we might still using the plastic keyboard cellphone. Sometime I m really angry about some people always say the brand of Apple is their selling point, I think they should look inside, explore the inside beauty of the product, not just the outlook. Can’t you see the beauty inside of its?

When I look at the trees and grass, hills and sea, its amaze me, what a lovely planet which create by god, and we are too naïve to pretend to know everything.

Most of us have short sight, we pretending to know everything in the earth, but in fact we only know something we know; there is a million and million things we don’t know. When I walked up to the hill and looked down to the sea, I think we know too little and our life are too busy to understand everything around us, so by time to time we satificy our knowledge and we think we are the center of the world. That is danger, and stupid, because we are human, not a rat; we are not only want to live, we want to make things, create things, change the world, influrence the changing.

So I think people should turn off their computer, go out meet the environment; also think deep and think more, think outside the scope, think the value of the life and not materialism.

Few days later, Sony will launch their next generation portable  gaming device. The device is nothing big break through, the only different is the UMB free gaming device, and what that mean is user can’t use physical disc to play their game on that device.

In fact it is a good thing and it “may be” the trend of the storage media, but the biggest problem is the way to “code-sign” or some people call DRM the game software, SONY is a big failure on that because they are never user friendly. Some people say it just like Apple’s iTS, “code-signing”, and DRM, but the nature of PSN and iTS are in the totally different nature and SONY again, they made a mistake.

First, music industry and gaming industry are two very different nature, people can buy physical music disc or virtual album on the net, both way can go from one format to the other. But the gaming software can’t, in PSN people can’t transfer their brand new physical gaming disc to virtual gaming software or purchase the gaming software to burn it as a disc and play; that is a dilemma of user; what happen if the storage is broken? is it easy to backup the software, that is the main issue.

Second, the “code-signing” and the DRM, Apple dropped DRM in music a lot time ago, people no longer need to buy DRM music, and they free to transfer their file from one to other for personal use. But gaming industry still doing “code-signing” to protect their revenue. At some point, “code-signing” is a good thing to protect industry, but the way of “code-signing” is a big concern of the concept is working or not.

Apple decided to “code-signing” and DRM in user computer, what that mean is no matter what the “code signing” and DRM will belong to your computer’s ID. User able to transfer their gaming software, DRM music and movie from code signed computer to unlimited volumes of devices, which means no matter how you change your iphone or ipod, you still can play your software or music without any problem.

On the other hand, Sony seems “code-signing” the software in the device; that is the biggest mistake, because the probability of fail in portable device is way higher than computer, it could be storage fail, the electrical fail, the analog input fail…etc. when user’s device have problem, they have to change their device, so the user need to re signing their software, that will be a dilemma of user, what if they hit the maximum transfer or share limit, they are not allowed to re transfer until they reset all the things in PSN.

Last, the volume of software available in store, PSN is not a open preform for developer the public their software to the preform, it is unlike Apple’s App store which allow individual developer public their software to the preform. The main successful of the online media store is the volume, more choose means more customer, when Apple launch their iTS, they signed with several big music label before make the store go public, and the exclusive music box set(i.e. U2 digital boxset), but PSN doesn’t have any of these element, they don’t have most gaming label to sign with PSN(now) and don’t have PSN exclusive as well, not those sissy little crappy game, is something big project like FF or GT, they don’t have any. The most funny part is, they launch the exclusive pack of GT portable  in PSP UMD, not PSP Go, it just like snap their PSP Go twice.

I don’t think PSP Go will going to  success or lead the trend, I think that product was suicided by those board director in Sony. No matter what that product will launch and I m sure that hardcore  Sony and Japan lover will love  that new skin with old organ.

Last Night, I was in a mall and saw a road show about the hybrid car from Hong Kong Power supply company, there is several things to bothering me. Their concept of green and their knowledge to know how to being green is totally wrong, what that mean is they have fundamental error of the concept to being green.

First what is hybrid car? Hybrid car is a mix or I called subside petrol(gas) car, the car still have to use the gas and the car. Second what is electrical car? Electrical car is a pure electrical energy supplied car.  Last what is diesel car? Diesel Car is a car use diesel( haha yea diesel )

• When you drive hybrid car, the car uses both energy petrol and electrical, the purpose of that is made the car has less fuel consumption, less CO2 and hight MPG. But the thing is the hybrid car is depending on the driver behaviors, some research tell us that drive hybrid car use more petrol( means produce more CO2) than regular sport car in 80 mph. So if the driver has aggressive driving behaviors the car will just exactly same as the BMW M3.

What about electrical car? Government and electrical company always say electrical car is the future. In fact, if the government and electrical company is telling the true of the electrical car?

• Made by Aluminum: Car mostly is made by aluminum. Aluminum can be recycle but the process of making  aluminum needs a lot of water treatment and massive of heat, it is a lot more than Steels.

• The battery: Electrical Car is using the technology in Computer notebook or your cellphone’s battery(Li-ion), Car manufactory just array massive number of Li-ion battery into the car, so the car gets the power to drive up to 60 mph or higher, but think about it, what if the battery dead? Li-ion can’t be dispose, and it harm the environment. Also Electrical car is using the power from the big power planet instead of the small gas station, but it still need power to fuel up when u fill it up, it created CO2 from the planet not the car, literary is the same as petrol car.

The Diesel Car seems a right choose? Maybe not. In fact the diesel car just like hybrid car, it depends on the driver behaviors. So if you drive fast your fuel consumption won’t be low.

The law of conservation of energy can’t be change.

IF you want to be green on transit, let me give you some suggestion,

• Take public transport, take less distance route. Public transport is a good way to reduce a carbon dioxide and  higher power efficiency, 1 bus with 100 people is way higher efficiency than 1 car with 1 people.
• IF you really need to drive, don’t spend money on nowadays hybrid and electrical car, it won’t save the earth. So change your driving behaviors, accelerate slowly and brake slowly, because the most energy waste is in the beginning of the movement, it need to deal with the fraction and change the stage of the object.
• Also way the technology have every better solution, as an engineer I believe people are working on it, especially on the renewable energy car, i.e solar power car, and Fuel cell car, that is the way it looks like in the future.

So please don’t bother the electrical car and hybrid car now, and think before you trust those message from government( especially in HK ) and power company, because their concept of green is wrong, and the message it brings out just brain wash people’s mind.

Some people asked me why I don’t jailbreak the iPhone and why I don’t change the spring board; I alway say I don’t want to mess up the develop device, but in fact there is another reason behide it, because of the prefection, I think the design of the iPhone springboard is prefect so far, so I won’t bother it, no matter the main screen and the icon I think it is good enough and if I change it, it will make the thing get imprefect.

When I read the review magazine in Chinese about the review of the iPhone, they alway keep saying that iPhone is not highly customlize, because it needs an iTunes to transfer, it can’t use wireless transfer file etc;But in my opinion I don’t think it is a downside of the iPhone, when I review the history about the mp3 player, the most failure is because of software and hardware can’t talk each other, for example first Creative and second Sony. The key of the success is thr killing app, and I think iTunes is a key of success, if Apple or I try to avoid this fact and let people be a ” highly customlize” or bypass iTunes, I don’t think iPod and iphone being that success.

In fact the future if the Device is AI function, your contact and your media, you don’t need to take a lot of time to manage it, bur unlucky people in hong kong won’t see it in that way. I still seeing tons of people put their contact in their sims, spend an hours to sort it before change their phone. It is painful for me.

The headline news of today is about Hong Kong economic, it is plunging 7.5 percents, and it seems keep getting worse, but government in Hong Kong seems just starting to realize it.

For my point of view, government in Hong Kong is a reflection of amount of citizen in Hong Kong, they just short sight seeing, leak of long term prediction and not be insightful. I always tell people that we should be insightful, we need a long term plan, we need to be think differently, but when I bring out this point of view, they just trying to ignore it and said short term it more important.

Let me give you an example about what long term and insightful is:

Back in early-80′s Pixar has founded by George Lucas, Pixar is the first computer animation studio in the world, because by that time there is no animation studio in the world; when George Lucas hit financial crisis in mid 80′s he sell Pixar to Steve Jobs; In between 1986 – 1995 about ten years, Pixar doesn’t have any profit, and it just bleeding money on every single year with about 5 millions. Ten years past, Pixar finally develop their first and remarkable movie Toy Story, and start rising.

In fact if Steve is not insightful, if Steve think of the short term return, he won’t buy Pixar, if Steve is not that forgiven ( or maybe he was too busy in NeXT ) he won’t give 10 years time let the young company run itself and don’t shut it down.

All I m trying to say is, insightful is very important, especially you are a government, but badly government in Hong Kong is not that kind of government, they think in short, follower, never being innovate and think difficult.

I don’t have any hope on that government and most people in Hong Kong, just like Steve Woz said, if you think something new and want the stand for it, you will aware that you will be alone, because traditional people only accept traditional thing and unlucky there is more than 95% of people are thinking in that way. So you will be feel lonely, and you will work with yourselves.