MicroMax effect - Is it here to stay

Micromax is the 3rd largest phone seller in India after Nokia and Samsung. It is not surprising that the Tier3 brands ( Micromax, Karbonn, Lava,Olive etc) have over 17% market share comaped to 1% last year!

But will they survive especially with Yuan raising and I also hear about salary costs of Chinese production companies going up. Already sensing these issues, production houses have started to move to Vietnam.

MediaTek, the taiwanese chipset maker thriving on the chinese grey market and the Indian brands like Micromax has sold over 500 Million chipsets!

The fact that cost arbitrage will soon vanish, the Tier 3 brands have a tough task ahead to displace Nokia or Samsung

Call of Convergence: Smartphone as a "Connected Device"

My  article  on "Smartphone as a connected device" appeared in in the Hindu Business Line (13th Sep 2010). Have tried to look at Innovation and Convergence as key drivers for the future of Smartphone. The article also discusses the potential for smartphones in Home entertainment and Automotive segments.

Click on the image to read the article as printed OR follow the the link Call of Convergence

Connected Devices

Everything from the Smartphone to any of the consumer electronics devices ( TV , Camera etc) are part of the larger Connected Devices universe.

I recently read an interesting article in the Financial Times about Google and Apple aggresively trying to gain entry into the Smart TV space ( TV + Web connection)and offer OTT ( Over the Top) services. It looks like US will be a huge market. All Google and Apple products are lapped-up by conusmers in USA ( at least for now). This is like the Microsoft wave during the late nineties.

Home and "In-car" entertainment segments would be the key drivers for the next 3-5 years.