Nokia, iPad, Microsoft...

Nokia runs on Windows now. The risk is high to deal with new software and new hardware. Nokia could be just a big bargain or a bouncing dead cat. It is very risky but it could be very rewarding. Do not bet your farm on it. As of 12/2012, they had a phone with picture quality better than most point-and-shoot cameras.

The tablet for Windows is in a similar situation. When you're late for dinner, the food at least the better ones have been eaten. Apple has the advantage of being a better mouse trap. They are supported by the huge number of quality apps. Samsung is Apple’s sole competitor now. The lower end market is dominated by Chinese and Taiwanese companies. 

I predict the tablets running on Window will be popular for business users and investors like me which could be a huge but ignored market.

The vision of Steve Jobs changed our industry and Apple became the most valuable company as of 2012 when its stock was 700 (a little high for me to buy). He was not the real pioneer in my definition, but his passion made great products and drove his engineers to the limit. Steve Jobs separated Apple from the rest. He was smart to outsource his manufacturing to China with low wages, better educated work force, easier access to the rare earth elements, etc. In the U.S., the unions and regulations would not allow Apple to produce quality products in amazing speed. Moving assembling PCs back to the U.S. will improve the image, but this will hurt the bottom line.

Nokia already had iPhone and iPad in the drawing board seven years ago. Microsoft had one too a long while ago and it failed miserably. Windows and Apple’s screen interface were copied from Xerox’s PARC. When you do not convert your research to practical products, others will use and enhance your ideas and build products based on your original ideas.

I wonder what happened to all those managers at Xerox. Did they receive generous bonuses for not bringing their ideas to market? The engineers and scientists who invented all these ideas must be frustrated. May be high tech companies should be run by programmers, engineers and scientists such as Jobs and Gates, not by some MBAs who know nothing about high tech except counting numbers.  

Windows 8

I like the new Windows especially in the reduced time to bring up the system. 

However, there are bugs/problems that should be fixed before its initial release. The companies including Microsoft and Google rush their products too early to market to make an extra buck. It will hurt their customers and the company itself in the long run. The days we had focus group, Alpha testers and Beta testers have gone.

I wrote a paper on the importance of paper testing to aim at achieving zero bugs: Try to list out all the possibilities of the program flow (or user interactions) and test the flow (or user interaction) one by one by using a pen – I called it paper testing or simulation using a wind tunnel. If you find 10 bugs, it means you have not tested the program thoroughly.  Repeat the testing until there is no bug.

The current version of Windows has more holes than Swiss cheese.

However, Windows is heading to a new world and I believe it will be successful or most of us have no better choice than cry. My HP 17" laptop is only $400 after all the rebate and discount.