Its not easy being a tech buff. One has to live the way those corporates decide how life should shape for us. They make us drool over the gadgets to be launched by offering a photo that that reveal nothing more than an edge, two if they are feeling generous. They set our hearts pulsing with web flooding with rumors. Only half of them materialize though. These corporates make big promises. When they don't live up to them, we must go to every tech blog, site and scribble every wall on the virtual world with rants. And when they do, we pack our bags and go camping in front of the store which will open up and bless us.
But since a tech buff has to live through all of this, its time those honchos here us out. So here are my two cents:
To Mr. Steve Jobs - The days of iPhone are over. At least the way you see them. There was a day when OS was probably the last thing on the minds of phone makers. There was Symbian which was good but, lets accept it , would come last in bling list. Palm had an OS, HTC had brew but all that simply didn't cut the ice. You brought iPhone and with it, iOS. That WAS a revolution. In those days, iOS was far ahead of its time. iPhone was what every phone desired to be but could never be.
Times have changed. Android is giving iOS a run for its money. There are many phones in market which offer better hardware than iPhone. They even look better. No longer does iPhone stand out in the crowd. Come on, bring another revolution to make heads turn again.
To HTC - You make the best UI. Period. Your phone's battery life sucks big time. Long period. Once someone puts his hands on an HTC, its hard to let go. The Sense UI just makes one keep playing with the menus and interface. That is fantastic. But whats the use of such a UI if the phone dies on me by the evening? Yes, I did charge it full in the morning. Please put a bigger battery. Please.
To Samsung - See, your phones are great. They are the ultimate media centers. No codec gets past the video player on a Samsung phone. Even your UI is maturing in to a beauty. But why do you have fetish for that plastic?? Its good to see and hold a light phone but no one parts with his hard earned cash to buy a phone that has plastic all around it. And it is your flagship model. Get some metal, plonk it at the back, and see the wonders. There is nothing better than the feel of assurance of that the innards of your phone are wrapped in metal. Get some metal, get it fast. End of discussion.
To Nokia - I don't want that Symbian anymore. And I can't shout any louder. By the way, even you have bid adieu to Symbian but why did it take you so long to realize that you won't be able to get anything worthy out of MeeGo? Are you same people who ruled the world of mobile handsets or is my eyesight bad? At least you woke up in time to partner with Microsoft. But do remember that Windows mobile has been a massive failure in the past. Everyone wants to see a competitive Nokia.
To Sony Ericsson - Give up on your love for proprietary, one size fits all, port. When that port goes kaput, everything goes bonkers. And this happens more often than not. You will never realize the pain of not even being able to charge the phone because there is only one port in it. And why should I be forced to use your proprietary headphones even on a Walkman phone. Give some liberty to your customers.
So there it was, my Wish List. Is anyone listening??
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Should I buy that mobile phone now??
Figure this: Samsung Galaxy tab is about 6 months old in the Indian market and guess what, it has lost Rs.13000 off its price. It was launched for Rs.38000 and today retails for Rs.25000. Amazing, isn't it? Of course its good for the consumers but lets see the flip side of the coin. The guy who bought this tab 6 months ago has been, to put bluntly, fooled. You don't buy something only to find it being sold for ridiculously low price less than a year later.
Well, even I have been a victim of this very same phenomenon. The phone is bought lost almost Rs.1500 off its price in just 6 months. The worse thing is, it was launched at a price of Rs.9200, which is about 17% loss in value. And yes, before you guess, it was Samsung as well.
Incidentally, this isn't a one off case. Apple iPad lost almost Rs. 3000 within a month of its launch in India. Its same case everywhere. Almost every electronic good starts shedding its price from the day of its launch.
Lets see why this happens in first place. There are many reason for this slide few of which are:
1. Pressure from the market - That's so common in today's day and age. Samsung Tab comes in at Rs.38000, realises that no one gives a hoot to such ridiculous pricing and starts shedding price. This brings it down to Rs.32000. Same happened with Olivepad. Yes, its a tablet and does sell in Indian market. It was launched at decent enough price but had to bend with the onslaught coming from Apple and Samsung. Same happened to LG Cookie Pep. Fell to the pressure from Samsung and its slew of products.
2. Self realisation - Viewsonic has launched its windows tablet for about Rs.30000. That is for 7-inch tab. When the company realises that no one cares for such pricing, it will lose its price. What better case than the laptop I am keying in this blog post on. This laptop had come into the market at Rs.37000 or so around April 2009. I picked the same thing up in July 2010 for Rs.23000. In fact, I remember checking this out around January 2010 and the price was around Rs.34000. Of course that was almost a year ago and a lot has changed in terms of advancements in technology, yet this hardware is respectable for the price it offers. For those who may ask, its is MSI X-340 I am talking about. To be frank, this laptop should never have been priced at Rs.37000. That was absurd. So, MSI realises the flaw, and now the deal is really sweet.
3. Clearing up the stock for new launch - This is a kind of win-win situation for manufacturer as well as consumers. Apple slashed iPad prices across the globe by $100 to make way for iPad 2. Same is the tactic of Samsung for its Tab. A new tab is on its way next week so makes sense to clear up the supply chain. iPhone 3G lost price to make way for iPhone 4 and this goes on. Older models make way for newer ones.
There are many more reasons for this slide but lets not go over all of them. These few give a fair enough idea of the scenario. So, what should you do?
1. Wait and watch - If you want to be guy who is the center of attraction of the crowd with his latest gadget, you'll have to pay price for that. If you want a better deal, wait for a couple of months till the "I am the first" guys have settled down.
2. Be aware of future launch - The internet is abuzz with new launches that are as far as 6 months away. Keep a track of this. If there is a newer model coming, rest assured that the price of current model will fall.
3. Don't buy for future needs - This I feel is the most important. Gone are the days when one would buy a gadgets by making plans for the future. Buy it only when you need it. Don't keep this mindset that lets buy it today because I'll need it 4 months later anyway. If you'll need it four months later, buy it 4 months later. The sale and limited period offers result out of the points listed above. You never know where this landslide will stop!!
Well, even I have been a victim of this very same phenomenon. The phone is bought lost almost Rs.1500 off its price in just 6 months. The worse thing is, it was launched at a price of Rs.9200, which is about 17% loss in value. And yes, before you guess, it was Samsung as well.
Incidentally, this isn't a one off case. Apple iPad lost almost Rs. 3000 within a month of its launch in India. Its same case everywhere. Almost every electronic good starts shedding its price from the day of its launch.
Lets see why this happens in first place. There are many reason for this slide few of which are:
1. Pressure from the market - That's so common in today's day and age. Samsung Tab comes in at Rs.38000, realises that no one gives a hoot to such ridiculous pricing and starts shedding price. This brings it down to Rs.32000. Same happened with Olivepad. Yes, its a tablet and does sell in Indian market. It was launched at decent enough price but had to bend with the onslaught coming from Apple and Samsung. Same happened to LG Cookie Pep. Fell to the pressure from Samsung and its slew of products.
2. Self realisation - Viewsonic has launched its windows tablet for about Rs.30000. That is for 7-inch tab. When the company realises that no one cares for such pricing, it will lose its price. What better case than the laptop I am keying in this blog post on. This laptop had come into the market at Rs.37000 or so around April 2009. I picked the same thing up in July 2010 for Rs.23000. In fact, I remember checking this out around January 2010 and the price was around Rs.34000. Of course that was almost a year ago and a lot has changed in terms of advancements in technology, yet this hardware is respectable for the price it offers. For those who may ask, its is MSI X-340 I am talking about. To be frank, this laptop should never have been priced at Rs.37000. That was absurd. So, MSI realises the flaw, and now the deal is really sweet.
3. Clearing up the stock for new launch - This is a kind of win-win situation for manufacturer as well as consumers. Apple slashed iPad prices across the globe by $100 to make way for iPad 2. Same is the tactic of Samsung for its Tab. A new tab is on its way next week so makes sense to clear up the supply chain. iPhone 3G lost price to make way for iPhone 4 and this goes on. Older models make way for newer ones.
There are many more reasons for this slide but lets not go over all of them. These few give a fair enough idea of the scenario. So, what should you do?
1. Wait and watch - If you want to be guy who is the center of attraction of the crowd with his latest gadget, you'll have to pay price for that. If you want a better deal, wait for a couple of months till the "I am the first" guys have settled down.
2. Be aware of future launch - The internet is abuzz with new launches that are as far as 6 months away. Keep a track of this. If there is a newer model coming, rest assured that the price of current model will fall.
3. Don't buy for future needs - This I feel is the most important. Gone are the days when one would buy a gadgets by making plans for the future. Buy it only when you need it. Don't keep this mindset that lets buy it today because I'll need it 4 months later anyway. If you'll need it four months later, buy it 4 months later. The sale and limited period offers result out of the points listed above. You never know where this landslide will stop!!
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