Owning the household eco-system

I have just finished reading an article from PandoDaily.com about Microsoft's struggling Surface RT tablet and how a price drop has caused Walmart to sell out of it.  The thrust of the article is to warn Microsoft not take this surge in demand to indicate that the RT has potential and should be continued despite the rocky start.  The argument here is that at the reduced US$349 price, they cannot be making much (if any) profit on each device, and that Microsoft NEEDS to make margins on this hardware because there is no money to be made from it's anaemic eco-system.

As I intimated in the article comments, this could be a rather short-sighted view.  The RT doesn't necessarily need to make much profit in and of itself if it's part of a larger 'own the home' strategy.

Apple have a clear strategy of trying to make every 'screen' in your house an Apple device.  They are very careful to ensure that all their devices (Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV) integrate with each other seamlessly.  This encourages consumers to take advantage of this synergy by making each of their computer, tablet, phone and media streaming devices an Apple one.  Google is also taking steps in this direction - Android phone and tablets can easily share between each other, the Chrome browser adds desktop integration, and the recently launched Chromecast dongle adds sharing to the big screen. (Off-topic - I really want a Chromecast - Google please release it in NZ ASAP!)

Microsoft don't seem to have a clear strategy along these same lines, despite having the individual pieces.  The have PC, phone, tablet and entertainment devices (ie. Xbox) but there doesn't feel like there's a big advantage to going all-Microsoft.  The tight integration among devices doesn't seem to be there.  However, that's not to say this can't be fixed, and the recent corporate restructure should make that easier.

Which brings me back to the Surface RT.  This device if it is positioned and priced correctly, could be a key part of this 'own the home' strategy by taking the position of the 'browsing' screen away from iPad or Android tablets.  The Surface Pro is obviously intended as a replacement for both the tablet and PC but for those households which already have a PC and don't want replace it, a cheaper option is warranted and the RT fills that spot.  If Microsoft is serious about owning the home, then they need to persevere with the RT, despite its disastrous start.

Waiting for the new shiny

As I write this, it's been three and a half days since Google began rolling out the latest update to its mobile operating system - Android 4.3 Jelly Bean to owners of it's Nexus-branded phones.  As a proud Nexus 4 owner, I am in line get this update, but as yet it has not hit my phone.

Android 4.3 is a relatively minor update, with most of the changes under-the-hood rather than featuring any killer user features.  However, one of the major reasons I got a Nexus was that it would receive software updates first amongst all Android devices and I've been excitedly waiting for it, to the point of going to my phone every 3-4 hours and trying to manually kick things off (by going to Settings > About Phone > System Update > Check Now).  Why I am so excited I couldn't tell you - life will be exactly the same after I get the update as it is now (except maybe I won't need to charge my phone as often).  

I'm not alone in this feeling - the Android forums are full of people anxiously hanging out for the update or posting ways to get it via unofficial means for those who can't wait. 

This phenomenon is not restricted to us Android geeks though - witness the huge queues outside stores whenever a new Apple iDevice is due to launch.  I am constantly amazed that people are willing to camp overnight, just to be one of the very first to own the latest device even if they already have the previous version released only 12 months prior.  (Although I do admit I did queue for two hours for an iPad 2 when it came out!)

I'm sure there must be some evolutionary reason for this desire to have the latest and greatest whatever-it-is.  Probably something to do with gaining a survival edge (the first Neanderthal to figure out he could use a piece of wood to club his rivals to death likely gathered himself quite a harem!).  Whatever the reason though, the consumer electronics companies of the past ten years (led by Apple) have honed their abilities to tap into this desire to a fine edge.  

I hate that I've been sucked into this race, but that won't stop me from checking my phone for the update as soon as I finish writing.  What's killing me even more is that it's expected that the next MAJOR revision of Android - Android 5.0 (codename Key Lime Pie) is expected to arrive in just three short months.  And I'll be going through this excruciating waiting game yet again. 

** Update**
I finally gave up on waiting and decided to cheat by 'sideloading' the update using these instructions.  After a couple of false starts I'm now rocking Android 4.3 and can finally just get on with my life.