Microsoft, Apple and Google - Approaching wrongly to Internationalization & Localization

Take list of top most valuable brands in the world or talk about top most innovative companies; Apple, Google and Microsoft will be among top 10 companies of any list. Microsoft ruled the world in 1990s and Google rose in 2000s. Apple rose at the same time as Google but growth of Apple exceeded that of Google. Today these three great companies are competing and collaborating simultaneously. These companies are making strategic investments to beat each other. All this is boon to customers as it gives choice and value to customers.

But that's not the point that I want to put forward today. Visit iOS 7 launch page and see features are country dependent - http://www.apple.com/ios/feature-availability.

Why are these features country dependent? There are few chosen ones get all features, rest of the world gets these features later. It’s not the problem for Apple to solve. It’s the problem for all three companies that are approaching to internationalization & Localization. I believe that these companies should work towards creating a platform where local developers can publish their information to provide custom experience.  Think about a Siri or Google now where you speak: "top news" and Siri or Google now pulls news from TOI if you like TOI or from HT if you like HT. Same way when we search on “weather in Hyderabad”, we get weather from some weather websites. Can I choose providers of my choice? Can I get information from local providers such as Jagran.com? We can but Google has to go and tie up with every local providers. Humanly it’s not possible and that's why it makes sense to create a platform to develop localized experience.

Google search made world democratic, liberal and free. Due to Google's fair algorithm of search, many new businesses came into existence as cost of entry and discovery was reduced.  Windows did it as a computing platform. By launching App store on iOS, Apple made cost of entry really low for developers. So, what stops these great innovators to come up with a new platform for localization? I can think of three reasons for this closed approach:

1.  It’s not an easy problem to create open and flexible platform that supports all languages and cultures. 

2. Companies see more value in services than platforms and that's why everybody is focused on developing new services instead of creating a platform

3. World's business is shifting towards non-English markets but biggest pie still comes from English market especially from US. That's why non-English markets get ignored in large scale of things.

I believe it’s the time to think internationalization and localization in a new way and develop mobile and web platforms flexible enough for third party developers to integrate their services.

iPhone 5C & 5S : 3 Great strategic moves by Apple

Apple updated its iOS with latest version. For most of the world, it was a normal release and expectation is that competitors will catch up sooner than later.  Android already has biggest market share and Windows phone is increasing its share. So what’s new in this release and how it changed the game? Apple altered the game many ways this time but I am presenting just 3 most important strategic moves by Apple leadership:

1.    Increased the barrier of entry in premium segment & opened new market for tracking applications

Apple launched M7 processor to process signals from motion sensors and other continual tasks which require less but continuous processing. Given that M7 requires less power and will help users in tasks that users value. Now, as we are becoming tracking freaks, iOS devices will become main target for such kind of application. By the time other developers will catch, Apple will have great applications to provide value to customers.

TouchID launched by Apple has just one purpose right now – work as password for lock screen and App store. It seems a trivial and not so big of an innovation. Think deeply… is it so simple… No obviously not… Apple has achieved what others failed to achieve… It is a small & first step towards a password free word. Again Apple being the first mover has the opportunity of becoming first password free and most secure platform.

No other platform will be able to provide these market-changing features.

For curious souls:

http://gigaom.com/2013/09/13/apples-m7-chip-is-the-trojan-horse-for-its-wearable-computing-plans/

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9242364/The_M7_motion_coprocessor_in_the_iPhone_5s_is_a_big_deal?pageNumber=1

http://www.quora.com/Apple-September-2013-iPhone-Press-Event/Why-is-Apple%E2%80%99s-iPhone-Touch-ID-Important

2.    iOs is a computing platform transformed into a smart human friend

Apple launched iOS7 by boasting flat design. World went gaga about flat design and ignored the other life changing experiences brought by Apple.  For customers, it hardly matters what design principles a platform follows. By moving to flat design, Apple moved to a more human experience and its visible everywhere in iOS : in Siri, in folders, in mail, in contact… Now Siri gives a human response to a query. Notification centers tell me how my day is going to be… what are my important tasks and events. I can access all these without even unlocking the phone. Now I don’t need to unlock to find out when is my meeting.

iPhone is no longer a phone, it became a personal assistant and companion. No platform can match this experience in recent future as other platforms have users divided in so many segments. These segments have slow learners and fast learners where as Apple has just fast leaners. By bringing drastic changes, Apple put forward a strategic dilemma to Android. Which direction should Android take now? Should it copy Apple strategy and make Android’s future uncertain or enjoy today’s success to jeopardize Android’s future?

For curious souls:

http://www.apple.com/in/ios/ios7/features/

3.    Low cost production model

Apple didn’t reduce price of iPhone. Why? Because Apple is not able to meet the demand. Last quarter Apple sold 37.5 million iPhones and total revenue earned by iPhone was more than the revenue of microsoft.  If Apple is not able to meet the demand why it should reduce the price.

Apple needed two steps to reach wider audience. First, Apple needed to have production process, which can scale fast and ensure high quality product. Secondly, Apple needed to reduce cost to reach other segments.  By launching plastic body phone Apple achieved both.

Nokia and Samsung already have plastic phones… then why it is a strategic move? Apple was never in plastic and neither Apple is launching cheap plastic. Apple was in premium segment and hence it had a chance to move towards lower segments by reducing cost. Plastic iPhone allows Apple to achieve both of its goals. As Samsung and Nokia are already in plastic and that too in cheap plastic, they have no option to increase their reach or profitability.

Over all I believe Apple’s launch of 5s & 5c is not an annual ritual of incremental change but a disruptive strategic move.

For curious souls:

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/09/11/apples-iphone-5c-uses-unique-design-precision-manufacturing-to-avoid-plastic-stigma

http://www.imore.com/even-apples-plastic-better-about-iphone-5cs-polycarbonate-back

http://gizmodo.com/the-brilliant-simplicity-behind-the-iphone-5cs-design-1291914052

5 Reasons : Why organized retail is BS in India

Many a times, it was debated whether FDI in retail is good for India.  I don't want to reopen Pandora's box by discussing about FDI. I want to present a realistic picture of Indian retail. Lets not discuss how big is the Indian retail market and how businesses can make money by organized retail. First let's understand what customers got from established retail houses in India: 

1. Long queues : If you go to any retail store today, you will find long waiting lines at payment counters. First of all number of counters will be less and even then half of the counters will be closed. Only God knows the real reason for such poor service. I asked about it to one of my  friend who works in retail. He said that we want to give a feel to Indian customers that they are in a crowded place. What the Hell?

2. Higher Prices : If I am buying something in Walmart USA, I know that I will get the best rate in the market. Even if I am buying from some other retail chain in US, I will get a reasonable rate. In Indian retail stores, I compared the price of goods at organized retail stores and at street shops. There is a clear difference in the price. To my surprise organized retail is charging far more than street shops. This difference is not  10-20% but between 100% to 2000%. Organized retail should be more efficient in its cost management. Ideally organized retail should charge less. Either Retail stores  are inefficient and hence not required or They are cheating us and hence not required.

3. Poor Service :  If you buy anything  (let say water purifier) from any retail store, you will get poorest possible service. A street shop will provide you 24-48 hours turn around time and will meet it. A organized store will again provide you turn around time of 24-48 hours but do not expect any results before 72 hours. Here service is poor on two counts : 1. False promise 2. Delay in service
Once you pay the money, do not expect any response from representatives at these stores

4. Open Exploitation : Every worker in these retail houses is working for (at least) 12 hours daily. They are poorly trained and not given proper break from work. Its open exploitation and it seems nothing can be done.

5. No Innovation :  Indian retail is poorly copied model of US retail. There is no innovation to provide high level of service to Indian customers. First of all US standards of service are far above than what service these stores provide. Secondly, there is no Indianization of service to serve the customers better. Thirdly cost of these stores seems really high as none of them are in profit.

Over all, organized retail in India doing no good to people or itself.

Three Golden Rules to Kill a Product

Whenever I see a great product, I really get thrilled to think about product managers who designed the product. A product manager puts a lot of creativity and thinking to come up with a novel working product. Products such as Smart TV, iPhone and MS office require great insights  to understand user needs and behavior. Even small things such as a link on Google page or Log in sound in windows are well thought by a product manager to come up with right experience. Today small things make big impact and product managers take great pains to  read the minds of the users.

Here, I want to put forward a point that even great product managers can't create experiences that customers love, without support of creative and dedicated teams. I give you here 3 sure shot ideas to kill any creative product experience and frustrate the product manager and hence the users:

1. Merge the Product Management and Project Management Functions and assign these to one guy:  It seems very cost effective and logical solution to merge the product management and project management functions and assign both to one person. Merging the product management and project management functions is like asking the user to create the product that user wants. It seems a novel idea to give the product manager a chance to implement his/her own ideas.  This idea is dangerous to the core and product manager has to play the role of project manager too. Project manager faces many challenges in day to day job and is more concerned in meeting the deadlines and shipping the products. Now Product manager who is doubling as project manager has a chance to meet deadlines by cutting features and  shipping half baked products.

2. Divide a product into multiple components and make the ownership collective

A child can't have multiple fathers. Same way, a product can not have multiple owners. When we apply conquer and win in a wrong way to develop products, we are actually creating multiple fathers for a child. Ego clashes is not only  common but also very destructive and  features are decided by the loudest voice in the room. Everybody is worried about his or her own components. All components seem to work well but when we integrate, product becomes a jigsaw puzzle. Users are don't want a puzzle. They are looking for solution their problems. Believe me, nobody wants  to buy a problem.

3. Focus on process and tracking goals and forget about purpose of process

Processes are great way of creating beautiful products if we really care for their purpose. We mostly follow processes to document and show to our management that we are following process. We become slave of processes and behave like clerks who blindly writes what boss orders. At the end of the day, everybody gets great appraisal and product is shipped to die. Great products are not built in a factory. They are built in a open environment where creativity thrives.

 

Fear : A Weapon for Success

I met one of my entrepreneur friend recently and our conversation go on as following :

I: How is your business going?

Friend : Business is doing fine. 

I : Are you worried?

Friend : I don't have any worries if it fails. My previous company will always take me back. I am in touch with other Alums, who can also support me if I fail. So,  I am started this business without any fear of failing.

I was astonished to know that there is complete absence of fear in his mind that business may fail.

We are living in a world where fear is taken as a weakness. We are encouraged to be bold and accept the failure as is. In this very competitive world failures are part of life and nobody is failed till he stops trying. Here comes the another extreme when we safeguard ourselves in such a way that failure becomes harmless creature.

When we push ourselves to protect from all failures and we have nothing to loose, I believe that we do not put our best. The force of fear of failing is an enormous force that makes even a ordinary man to be the warrior. Multiple times, we see that the great businesses are built by ordinary people and not by MBAs from the greatest schools on this earth. Its not very surprising when we analyze this phenomena  from the angle of Fear. A ordinary man puts everything in his/her business. He will die or live. There is no other option to an ordinary entrepreneur. MBAs of the world always feel safeguarded. Even if they fail, failure is not permanent. They can earn their living by getting dream jobs. They can fall back to their support system. All this stops them to put their best and use their animal instincts of survival.

Even Batman fell in the trap of safeguards. See the movie clip and enjoy  

So, when you try next to start something new, throw away the safeguards. Do not plan alternatives. Rely on your survival extincts to be really successful.

Empower Employess to Achieve the Most...!!!

People are not robots and they are not like pets. They are thinking objects. They have emotions, desires and thoughts. Everybody is born on this earth with some special capability and some special interests. An individual likes to do few things as per his/her talent. I strongly believe that people should be given a chance to explore their talent and interests and choose employment according to their taste. Managers and leaders should treat employees as fellow mate. Employees should be given freedom to experiment and grow. People should have a choice to express themselves and tell not only what they like but also what they dislike.

I believe that freedom and choice are important to manage people. People live to earn respect. More respectable the work environment, more the employees will be productive at work place. Society needs to manage herd mentality of people to choose employment as per demand. When computers came to India, everybody wanted to see his/her children as computer engineer. By trying to focus on living and not interests & talents, people killed the interests of their children. Also Society failed to provide enough employment opportunity in different areas of interests so that people can choose employment as per their own talents and interests.  This mismatch of demand and supply needs to be somehow managed. How ? I don't know.

I started my life as an average student in school fighting for grades. Later I joined Indian Institute of technology, Kanpur and fought for grades again. Once I joined job, I again fought for things that are important for the world. After doing all this, my perception for life changed considerably.  Today I am focused on achieving what I like. I want to create beautiful products that can be used by millions of people. Products should be low priced and help people to do some specific tasks. I have a vision to create an organization which can keep doing this innovation continuously. I would love to create an organization which can survive for thousands of years and maintain the same level of integrity and passion.  Employees should be empowered to achieve their goals and learn by experiment. I want to create an organization which allows its employees to fail. There should not be fear among employees. I want to create value for shareholders in the long run. My business goal is not to exploit system and employees to create wealth.