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  • The Capital gets set to host 2 mega-media events – the World Magazine Congress from this evening and AdAsia as the month ends

    Chalo Dilli!

     

     

    By Akash Raha

    Delhi is all set to host two mega international events back to back – The World Magazine Congress and AdAsia. It almost seems like Delhi has become the new hub to host such grand events, perhaps taking over the role from Mumbai, the financial capital of India. Nevertheless, the upcoming month assures to be grand and promising for Delhi, which is bound to receive a lot of attention with several international business honchos from the media and advertising industry attending the two events.

    Speaking about the two events in a recent conversation with MxM India Ashish Bagga, CEO, India Today Group said “The World Magazine Congress is in early October followed by the Adasia; it is a big month and there is a lot of activity around both these conferences. The learning is amazing; the energy levels are very high. We are all very excited and we hope to pull off two very successful broad format events. And we are all looking forward to it.”

    Talking about the two events scheduled to take place in Delhi Prathap Suthan, Chief Creative Officer/Chief Explorer, iYogi, said “Well, the expectations from WMC is not much as it’s an era of digital. The only time a person reads a magazine these days is when travelling in a plane. I do love print but it is no more reasonable these days to subscribe for it or carry it along. When it comes to Adasia, yes, I will be going for it with a couple of my agency people. We are expecting to hear the best of experts on ‘uncertainty is the new certainty’ as in my opinion the world has always been uncertain hence nothing can be regarded as certain, Steve Jobs death was not certain, anything that happens to anyone is never certain.”

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7zC5_yLkbs[/youtube]

     

    Thereafter, Mr Suthan went on to praise the city of Delhi and said. “As far as having the events in Delhi is concerned, Delhi has a better infrastructure, better airport and better accommodation facility than Mumbai. In addition to this, every industry person makes a weekly Delhi visit. The only thing that Delhi doesn’t have is a sea but that is compensated with the nearness to mountains and desert. Hence Delhi is the perfect place to have such events.”

    In the two events several international deals and business transactions are also likely to happen. And that they are happening in Delhi is only good for the city. In the future too, it shall entice and lend confidence to the media, marketing and advertising fraternity to organize such events in Delhi.

    Talking about the two cities Mr Arvind Sharma, Chairman of India Sub-Continent, Leo Burnett said “Adasia is a major event happening for the advertising fraternity, it will bring a lot of great advertising minds under one roof. I’m hoping it will be a great event and I’m really looking forward to it.   I have been saying this for a very long time that the advertising industry in Delhi is growing double the rate than the Mumbai ad industry growth. Hence, it is the perfect venue for such a big advertising event.”

    But is Delhi’s gain Mumbai’s loss? This, only time will tell… But for the moment, it is time for the industry in Delhi to indulge in fun and frolic, amidst few of the biggest names of our industry as the city hosts World Magazine Congress and Adasia.

     

    Photograph: Fotocorp

  • Luxury market grew 20% last year despite signs of global slowdown, says CII-AT Kearney report

    Luxury mkt grows 20% despite slowdown signs

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Indian luxury market grew at a healthy 20% during last year, reaching a size of $5.8 billion, despite signs of the reemergence of a global slowdown, says a CII-AT Kearney report on Indian Luxury.

     

    In 2009, the luxury market in India stood at $4.76 billion and is expected to grow to $14.7 billion by 2015, notwithstanding the infrastructure and regulatory constraints, says the study, which will be unveiled at the CII-ET Luxury summit in Delhi on Tuesday.

     

    Some segments of the market, of course, have seen runaway growth, compared to others. The jewellery segment, for example, has seen a growth of 30% in the last one year due to increasing prices of gold and diamond.

     

    The luxury electronics and car segments have seen a growth of above 35%, while fine dining has seen a whopping 40% growth in this period. All of these segments have seen higher growth than expected in the last one year. Apparel and accessories, watches and personal care have also seen robust growth, between 24-30%.

     

    The only two segments that lagged last year are realty and yachts . The rapid growth in luxury sales can be attributed to the fast growing affluence in the country.

     

    According to a global affluence study by research firm TNS, India has 3 million affluent households, defined as those with more than $100,000 (around Rs 50 lakh) of investable surplus. In a report released last month, Swiss wealth manager Julius Baer forecast that the wealth of HNIs in India, with assets of $1 million or more, would more than double to 4,03,000 by 2015.

     

    “Skepticism is being replaced by an increasing sense of buoyancy and promise in the future potential of the market. Consumers are accepting and adopting global trends much faster than anticipated,” says the report.

     

    Luxury players report that they are making money at the store level, which means that the model is proven and now it is a question of adding growth capital to gain scale.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2011, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • PR agents are often abrupt and rude. Indisciplined too, perhaps influenced by their bosses. And their egos massively inflated because they believe they ‘own’ the stars.

    Anil Thakraney’s Hard Knocks: A problem called film publicists

    Part of my work involves doing big, detailed interviews with movie stars. And meeting these mighties is often a tedious process. Interviews get cancelled at the nth hour, or the star will arrive hours late for a pre-arranged meet. And therefore instead of it being a routine story, the ritual turns into an exercise in testing one’s patience. Of keeping your cool. Most filmi journos, for whom actors and directors constitute a regular beat, have reconciled with the waiting game.

     

    Though I must mention that an interview with Amitabh Bachchan starts sharp at the appointed time. On the occasions I have met him, I never have had to twiddle my thumbs. So if the ultra-big and the ultra-busy Big B can be so disciplined, it makes you wonder about the younger stars. Perhaps they get some jollies out of making journalists wait? Or they are simply disorganized folks, and haven’t been brought up to value other people’s time.

     

    And what makes things worse is the role played by the star’s PR agent or Publicist (or whatever fancy title they’ve acquired these days). Except for very few senior agents, who are a little more professional, I have often had rotten experiences with these front men and women. The job of representing movie stars (and close proximity to them) seems to give these people a false sense of self-importance. And the boom in the media, which also means a boom in celeb journalism, has resulted in too many journos chasing these PR agents with interview requests. And this has made the fronters feel even more powerful.

     

    The PR agents are often abrupt and rude. Indisciplined too, perhaps influenced by their bosses. And their egos massively inflated because they believe they ‘own’ the stars. As journalists, most of us have learnt to live with these ‘obstacles’ enroute to meeting the actors. Some junior reporters even indulge them, so that interview requests don’t get turned down, and gossip about rivals keeps pouring in. And the show goes on, as it should.

     

    But a few of them have gotten so drunk on their access to celebrity, they refuse to leave the room even AFTER the interview begins. They continue to hover around like a nasty presence, like ghoulish shadows. Completely ignoring a basic principle of journalism: That the best interviews (at least for the print medium) happen one-on-one, and it’s in their interest if the discussion with their bosses is insightful and meaningful. I have had PR agents politely evicted from rooms, but some die-hards still won’t get it. They’ll hang around despite being ticked off.

     

    I hope one day we see some degree of professionalism come into this job. So that meetings with film stars can be a joyful ride. And not a pain in the you-know-where, which it often is.

     

    ***

     

    PS: My best film interviews, in my own judgment, have so far been with Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan… in both cases there was no middle person involved. And with Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor, because their agents were wise enough to leave us alone.

  • Krish Dhingra finds his iPhone paying tribute to its famed father, Steve Jobs

    I Will Miss You Dad: An iPhone pays tribute to its Legendary Father, Steven P Jobs

    Author:
    Kris Dhingra

    It’s not often that you get woken up in the morning on your day off with a piece of news that leaves you shell-shocked and makes you fervently pray that what you’ve heard is all a rumour or a dream. Such reactions are normally reserved for unfortunate incidents that happen to your near and dear one’s.

    On the morning of October 6, 2011, while lying in sleep mode, I was suddenly picked up from my dock and rushed into the living room to verify what my owner had heard, “Steve Jobs has lost his battle against pancreatic cancer“. It was true, the moment I believed was still many years away had come much sooner than I expected. It was shocking, it was painful and it was sad both for my owner, myself and for millions of my siblings (other iPhone models) and cousins (ipod, iPad and other iOS devices) around the world.

    My birth father and the person who had visualized, conceptualized and created me was no more. I think I saw my owner shed a tear while watching visuals of my dad’s amazing keynote presentations from previous years. As the news started to sink in, my body started to get into motion as I began to access the twitter and facebook apps, update the timelines, render the graphics etc. It was hard to deliver the fabulous experience that I am known for given what I had just seen and heard, but I managed it as it was part of my DNA.

    My chief Architect and originator Steve Jobs was undoubtedly a brilliant man. In fact he was one of the greatest inventors and visionary entrepreneurs that this generation has ever known. Not many people in today’s world have seen or heard the likes of Edison, Marconi, Graham Bell or Einstein, but they have surely seen and heard my father introduce devices that have changed the face of this planet. He envisioned us in a manner no one could have ever imagined thanks to his extraordinary risk taking ability and capability to understand what users needed before they themselves knew what they needed.

    My owner and other iOS users around the world love what we can do for them and how easy we have made their lives, but what they don’t know is how loved we feel when we are bought. I have many foes today who come in a variety of weird names from the house of Samsung, LG, Motorola, Nokia etc and when I see people lining up for days outside our first homes (the Apple stores) it gives us such great delight and joy. No one else has or ever will manage to get such a following unless they believe what my father believed:

    Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

    Today, I can’t help but feel sad at the passing away of Steve but I also consider myself fortunate to have shared some part of my life with him. I am certain that my owners will continue to take great care of me and treat me in the best way possible, and they will certainly remember Steve every time I create some of the magic that my father gifted me with. Thank You Dad for everything you have done, I will miss you dearly.

    Steve Jobs encouraged us to listen to our heart and think differently, so in keeping with that spirit we decided to try this new format to pay homage to our idol.

     

    Kris Dhingra is founder and editor at DelhiPlanet Media. He can be reached at krisdhingra@delhiplanet.com]

  • Ranjona Banerji reviews nightly news and the morning papers in Freaking News

    When the media got it right

    By Ranjona Banerji

    The death of Apple founder and innovater extraordinaire Steve Jobs dominated TV headlines on Thursday and front pages of newspapers on Friday morning. Jobs acquired cult status soon after he launched the Mac in 1984 and bucked the giant corporate hold on the world of the computer. At the time, stories about him and his band of doping, way out anti-corporate merry geeks abounded. Soon after, he left Apple to found Pixar animation and also made his mark there. His return to Apple in the late ‘90s however was to a different world and it was here that his old reputation melded with his new creations and made Jobs into a giant icon. It can very safely be said that the media control of world opinion played a massive role here. From a small – if highly respected – cult figure for a few fans and aficionados, Jobs and Apple became highly sought-after bastions of the tech world. Ironically, his co-founder Steve Wozniack can currently be seen on BBC Entertainment, on an old series of Dancing with the Stars, a programme which specialises in making B and C grade celebrities dance.

    GK Chesterton’s aphorism that journalism “largely consists in saying ‘Lord Jones Dead’ to people who never knew that Lord Jones was alive” however does not apply here, as it so often does. Sometimes the media does get it right and undoubtedly Jobs was a pioneer and a rebel. His untimely death from pancreatic cancer at the age of 56 may instead prove the other wise saw that those whom the gods love, die young.

     

    **

     

    Dassera being a holiday, the rest of the TV day was dependent on the never-ending fascination with the Omar Abdullah mysterious custodial death case, the bail application of Gujarat cop Sanjiv Bhatt and the latest leg of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement in Hisar, Haryana. Unlike TV, newspapers are now openly telling us about Hazare’s connections to the RSS and BJP, bolstered by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s declaration in his Dasera speech that his organisation did support Hazare’s fast at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi in August. The fact that Hazare and his team – Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi – are on an anti-Congress campaign in Hisar also makes the connection clear. But where TV continues its blind hero worship, newspapers continue to do their job and present all sides and angles.

     

    **

     

    A little spat developed between Infosys mentor Narayanamurthy and India’s most populist writer Chetan Bhagat when the former criticised IIT students. But much as the media tried to go to town on this, it soon became evident that public interest was limited. Narayanamurthy took it no further and it is possible that the rest of India has other things to bother about.

  • Games 24×7 have awarded their creative mandates to Leo Burnett India. The win is an outcome of a multi-agency pitch.

    Leo Burnett wins creative mandates for Games 24×7

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    Leo Burnett has bagged the creative mandates for Games 24×7, an online gaming site.

    Mr Kalyan Kumar, CMO Games 24×7.com, said, “The business was awarded to Leo Burnett due to the great insight they had. We were not really keen on hiring a big agency but Leo Burnett was so strong in their preparation and work even when it came to the pitch presentation that we were totally convinced to hire them.”

    When it comes to working with a proper creative agency this is the first time that Games 24×7 has provided an agency with its creative mandates.

    The win is an outcome of a multi agency pitch which took place a month ago.

    Games24x7.com was founded to bring to India the fun and excitement of on-line, multi-player competitive games of skill that can be enjoyed 24×7. Their unique knock out tournament format allows our players to match wits in fast paced competitions where winners earn actual cash prizes.

    Games24x7 tournaments can be joined by anyone who sets up a valid account from home, an internet café or any other location with internet access. Their games focus less on manual dexterity and more on mental challenge, while at the same time requiring quick reaction and decision-making.

  • StreetSmart helps create buzz for Disney original movie ‘Phineas & Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension’

    StreetSmart buzz for Disney movie

    By A Correspondent

    Disney Channel’s Emmy Award winning global hit series ‘Phineas and Ferb’, recently scaled another peak with a new TV movie inspired by the series. The movie made its debut on Sunday, September 25 on Disney Channel.

    StreetSmart was given the mandate to plan and execute the OOH campaign to create the needed buzz and awareness for the television premiere. The campaign was executed in Mumbai and started on 14th Sep.

    Disney Channel wanted to build a dominating visibility and high level of awareness for the upcoming movie telecast. To achieve this impact, it was important that the outdoor campaign was well planned and targeted the family and kids audience to achieve the desired impact and eyeballs.

    To achieve this objective, Streetsmart meticulously planned the entire campaign roll out to ensure that the priority zones are well covered. The other important touch points across the city were also identified and impactful media vehicles were deployed to create the desired visibility.

    A mix of large format billboards and backlit bus shelters were used for the campaign.

    The strategy used by Streetsmart was to identify the top TG heavy zones in the city and create media corridors in these zones using a series of backlit bus shelters spaced at regular intervals coupled with core billboards at key touch points to create impact along with the reach. This ensured high level of visibility and OTS for the brand. It also optimized the campaign visibility, minimizing spillover in lesser priority areas.

    The well designed layout and attractive visuals used in the creative multiplied the impact and noticibility of the campaign manifold. For the bus shelters, Streetsmart used a combination of three different visuals which highlighted the three main characters of the movie – Phineas, Ferb and Agent Perry. As the series is already popular amongst the TG, it was very easy for them to connect with the communication.

    This campaign was a part of a 360 degree activity planned by Disney Channel for the premiere.

    Mr Anirudha Pawar, Group Account Director, StreetSmart said: “Phineas and Ferb are extremely popular with kids and the movie with several viewership records globally was highly anticipated in India as well. OOH was an integral part of this launch and we were mandated to deliver a well planned campaign to convey the message across to the TG. Through well defined priority zones in the city we targeted key TG at regular intervals using media corridors and maintained TOM for the upcoming premiere. Gauging from the degree of response received for the campaign, I am sure our efforts paid off. Team Streetsmart thanks Disney Channel for keeping the faith in us. ”

    This is the third campaign executed by Streetsmart for Disney Channel. Spiderman Live! and Shooting Stars were the two properties launched earlier by the agency. The innovation done by the agency for Spiderman Live! won a metal at the OAC 2011 Awards held this year.

    “The campaign planned by Mudramax for the premiere of the Phineas and Ferb Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension was so well planned and executed that the exposure delivered seemed much greater than the outlays for a similar campaign. Once again team Mudramax has reinstated our faith in their OOH expertise and innovative solutions” added Mr Srikanth Sarathy – Director Marketing and Creative Services, Walt Disney Television India Pvt. Ltd.

  • Airtel’s idea has caught on with the so-called Gen Next, and the internet is buzzing with it. A total winner, to put it simply.

    Anil Thakraney’s DeBrief: Very cool stuff!

    I regard ‘Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai’ an outstanding idea. Because of its simplicity, its honesty, its spirit, and most importantly because of the advertiser’s sharp understanding of today’s youth. Airtel’s idea has caught on with the so-called Gen Next, and the internet is buzzing with it. A total winner, to put it simply.

     

    And I eagerly awaited the next stage of the campaign, and was curious to know how they’d take this concept forward. It’s a tricky one. We have often seen in the past that the mother ad is launched with a bang, but it eventually ends up as dull 15 second edits. And I must say Airtel doesn’t disappoint, the new short films, highlighting various features, look like chips of the ol’ block.

     

    I watched two ads. In one, some friends get together and make frantic car race sounds on their mobile phone, in an attempt to mislead their pal into thinking they’re at the F1 race. The dude obviously gets very pissed off on being left out. The other one is funnier. A bunch of guys arrive inside a parking lot to find the windshield of their car smashed. The worried owner asks he pal to call the cops, but the kanjoos chap gives the police station a missed call! This ad sells the night-time calls plan.

     

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTqHoFTx0tI[/youtube]

     

    I like these ads. Not only because they are humourous, but also because the approach is kick-arse. The friends don’t do positive deeds in the ads, in fact they react negatively to their buddies. And still, they are zaroori! Brilliant thought. This little twist makes the ads charming to watch.

     

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 4.5. Keep ’em coming!

     

     

    Anil Thakraney’s ad review column DeBrief appears twice a week.

  • Three days to the FIPP’s World Magazine Congress in India, being held here for the first time

    3 days to World Magazine meet

     

     

     

    By Akash Raha

    The FIPP’s 38th World Magazine Congress is only three days away and is going to be held for the first time in India. Approximately 600 delegates from 50 countries (including India) will be attending this event. The conference will be held from 10-12 October, 2011 at New Delhi,and the biggest names of the media and advertising fraternity, from India and internationally, will be present at this event.

    Chris Llewellyn, President and CEO FIPP, UK, speaking on WMC India edition to MxM India said “The World Magazine Congress is FIPP’s most iconic event, gathering together the great and the good from our industry and is always special. Being held in India for the first ever time is a wonderful endorsement of how the market for magazine media is developing in this country and I’m looking forward to some great interaction between the local and international publishers. More generally, being able to understand how to balance the array of opportunities that new digital platforms bring together with the many strengths of the traditional magazine is the obsession of the magazine media world, and I’m sure that our New Delhi Congress will provide real insight and guidance as to what’s working, where, and why.”

    In a conversation with MxM India Mr Mitrajit Bhattacharya, General Secretary, AIM said, “We have a huge number of delegates coming in from all over the world; from the far-east, from Europe, from America. So I think, this is going to be one of the most successful World Magazine Congress in the last decade or so. India is the toast of the world for anything and there is a lot of interests for delegates to attend the WMC 2011.”

    When asked if business transactions can be expected in the WMC Mr Bhattacharya added, “I think there is a large amount of work which is happening in the digital space, and there is a lot of business which could be driven in that area in the World Magazine Congress with the magazine publishers of India. So there would be a definite angle of business in World Magazine Congress and I know that publishers are already full with the dates in their calendar with meetings with international delegates. There is a very nice appointment dairy that we have offered to every delegate and that is getting full for many publishers. So there will definitely be business transactions in the World Magazine Congress.”

    The World Magazine Congress will begin with the opening address by Mr Aroon Purie, Chairman of FIPP, and Chairman and Editor in Chief, India Today; Mr Chris Llewellyn, President and CEO, FIPP and Mr Jussi Pesonen, CEO, UPM. This will be followed by an interaction with Mr Shahrukh Khan, who will talk about ‘My Tryst with Magazines’.

    The next two days will be packed with speakers of renown from across the globe. The key note address on the second day will be given by Ms Ambika Soni, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, India.

    The Congress’ theme for this year is ‘The 360-degree Opportunity’. The congress will showcase various innovation and means to success in today’s dynamic market. The conference agenda contains some of the world’s biggest media names, giving their own personal insights. In addition, the 2011 Congress will incorporate a large commercial exhibition, providing the opportunity for delegates to learn about new products, developments and opportunities in a highly-charged business environment.

    India is an essential market as it has 73,000 magazines, including weeklies, fortnightlies and monthlies. The market is dominated by Hindi and regional publications. About 34 percent of the overall magazine industry publications are in Hindi, followed by English publications accounting for 13 percent of the total pie. The remaining 53 percent of the market comprises regional languages such as Marathi, Bengali, Tamil and Telugu.

    FIPP’s World Magazine Congress is by far the biggest magazine event that is organized across the globe which brings forth magazine publishers and business media providers from across the globe. The biennial Congress has taken place in many different locations over the years, including United Kingdom, London (2009), Beijing, China (2007), New York, USA (2005), Paris, France (2003), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Buenos Aires, Argentina (2001) and Hamburg, Germany (1999).

     

    For more information: www.fippindia11.com

  • Market research and television ratings pioneer Arthur C. Nielsen, Jr. passed away on Wednesday

    AC Nielsen Jr, father of TV ratings, passes away

    By A Correspondent

     

    As someone pointed out on his Facebook status, had it been any other day, he would have got more obit notice. One could say significant notice. For, Mr Arthur C Nielsen, Jr, who passed away on October 5 is indeed the father of television ratings.

    Here’s a press statement taken from the Nielsen site:

    October 5, 2011 — It is with great sadness that Nielsen learned of the passing of Arthur C. Nielsen, Jr.  ‘Art’ Nielsen was an early pioneer of the global information services industry, dedicating his life to investing in innovative ideas to understand and measure consumer purchasing and viewing behavior.

    During his tenure as President and Chairman of Nielsen, Art’s passion and tireless commitment to helping industries better serve consumers led to the creation of many innovations we all rely on today, including consumer and performance surveys, market share, department and food index, and television ratings to name a few.

    Throughout his life, Art was a strong supporter of the Chicago Food Bank, the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, the Arthur C. Nielsen, Jr. Campus of the North Shore Senior Center in Northfield, Gertrude B. Nielsen Child Care and Learning Center in Northfield, the A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research at the University of Wisconsin, the Arthur C. Nielsen Jr. Research Professorship of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the Nielsen USTA Pro Tennis Championship.

    Nielsen expresses its profound appreciation and gratitude for Art’s leadership and his legacy, which we proudly continue. The thoughts and prayers of our 34,000 associates in more than 100 global markets are with the Nielsen family at this time

     

    In India, other than its presence as The Nielsen Company, the television ratings research is conducted by TAM Media Research, a joint venture between Nielsen Company & Kantar Media Research.

     

    Picture: Nielsen.com

  • Obituary: Steve Jobs (1955-2011) showed what it takes to turn the smallest of ideas into life-changing products

    Steve Jobs – The Vision and the Conviction

    By Prasanto K Roy

     

    It’s a well-worn cliché to speak of the end of an era when someone well known has passed away.

    Today, however, it does feel like something has changed forever in the world of tech.

    The brilliance and clarity of vision, the courage of conviction, the fiery intolerance for imperfection.

    I really don’t see another individual impacting technology in anywhere near the same way, in our era, as Steven Paul Jobs did.

    He wasn’t just the guy who made the world’s coolest gadgets. Oh, well, that too. I don’t know of any other company for whose products buyers queue up for three days, ahead of launch.

    Steve Jobs created markets and product categories. He changed how we consume information and entertainment. He redefined leadership.

    I can’t think of another person whom I have been so proud to have merely met, once, for a few minutes, or sat through as many as two of his “oh, and one more thing” launches. When he pulled that first iPod out of his jeans pocket, we all stood up, and I didn’t even notice when my new notebook slid from my lap and cracked its display. It was a small price to pay to be a part of a piece of history, to experience the famous Jobs near-field distortion. “The Force is strong with him”, an elderly, pony-tailed journo sitting next to me said, perhaps to console me.

    There’s so much about Steve Jobs that marks him out from the many tech visionaries that dot Silicon Valley and the rest of the world. His never-say-die reinvention of himself and the companies he started, repeatedly turning adversity into advantage, described most famously in his Stanford address. His candor about shamelessly stealing the best ideas he came across, and then turning them into life-changing gadgets. His violent intolerance for ‘good enough’, making life hell for his design and execution teams, but turning out extraordinary products.

    Can you think of another person who would have had the vision to take his company into uncharted waters like a mobile phone with no keypad, which no market research had showed any demand for, and then change the world with that? Or who’d have the courage to bet upon and live with one, just one, model to take on the world’s phone vendors… and then to edge them out, with the world’s most brilliant, and most profitable smart phone? Or have the vision and execution to back great design with the amazing apps and accessories ecosystem that led to the re-invention of the tablet?

    This is a eulogy from a non-fanboy, and indeed something of an Apple critic. Though my first computer was an Apple IIc and my home is today dotted with iPads and iPods, I am no fan of Apple’s closed-garden approach, its secrecy and indeed its arrogance, or its historical lack of interest in India.

    I know that all of these largely derive from Steve Jobs, despite his old ties with India, which famously made a big impression on him as he backpacked through it (or when he went for his meals to a Hare Krishna temple in California).

    But we lived with all that that, and still bought Apple products. The secrecy and arrogance were an inseparable, even necessary part of the picture of Steve Jobs and Apple, especially if you go by results: stunning, life-changing lifestyle devices.

    With every chapter that ends, there is a new beginning.

    Of course the world, and Apple, will produce more outstanding, life-changing products. But yes, something has changed in the world of tech today, leaving (for Star Wars fans) not just a disturbance, but also a major discontinuity, in the Force.

     

    Prasanto K Roy is the chief editor of CyberMedia’s ICT group, and can be found at http://www.pkr.in/ or found on twitter.com/prasanto

  • The world remembers Steve Jobs as a visionary, innovator and ace businessman. Facebook status links

    RIP, Steve Jobs

    It was indeed a sad way to start a Dassera morning. I was alerted of the news from my Facebook dashboard. Only to be confirmed on the Apple site with the image of the man with the line that said it all: 1955-2011. I didn’t shed a tear, but I cried out to my wife that Jobs had passed. As if it was someone in my family.

    I’ve not been a compulsive Apple user. I remember once hiring someone who said he would join me only if given a Macintosh to work on. However, when I bought a Galaxy Tab recently because of its compact size, I couldn’t get myself to the interface having used the cooler iPad for some months.

    Steven Jobs has been described variously. Modern-day Edison, innovator, visionary etc. He was all of it, and more. In the past, there have been many who’ve called him arrogant, cunning, shrewd and aggressive. Guess they weren’t incorrect: the only difference is that when applied to Jobs, they were considered positive attributes.

    -          Pradyuman Maheshwari

    PS: Although we had announced that there would be no updates it being holiday for Dassera, we changed our ‘Big Story’ at around 6.30am. We invited our readers to share their sentiments on Steve Jobs at editor@mxmindia.com. We received a few, but will carry all after compiling them all. As you move down this page, you will find a few Facebook status updates that came up on my page (apologies for reprinting without permission).

     

    Great links:

     

    New York Times readers with their Steve Jobs moments: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/10/05/technology/20111006_JOBS_READER.html

     

    Super visual tributes at Gizmodo

    http://gizmodo.com/5847415/the-best-visual-tributes-to-steve-jobs-around-the-web/gallery/1

     

    Obama, tech giants pay tribute

    http://holykaw.alltop.com/reactions-to-steve-jobs-death?tu2=1

     

    Wikipedia on Steve Jobs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs

    Wikipedia on Apple Compuer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.

    48-minute Bloomberg video: http://www.bloomberg.com/video/66625228/

     

    Steve Ballmer laughs at the iPhone

     

    Steve Ballmer on the iPad

    Bill Gates on the iPad

    Bill Gates on the iPad on Larry King Live

    Interview with Bill Gates and Steve Jobs

    The original Macintosh introduction in 1984

    @VenkatAnanth Insanely great. RT @dictionarycom Steve Jobs made this phrase so famous that it entered the dictionary a few years back: bit.ly/qSBgdJ #iSad (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/insanely+great?t)

    Some Facebook status messages:

    Lynn de Souza: The true greatness of Mr Jobs will be revealed if he also managed to create many more young Steve Jobs to take on the mantle of spectacular innovation among all those who were lucky enough to work with and learn from him.

    Sonal Dabral: Will be a good idea if all Apple lovers wore black polo neck and blue jeans tomorrow in memory of the great Steve Jobs.

    Subhash Kamath: R.I.P. Steve Jobs. As a tribute, should we rename heaven as ‘icloud’?

    Prathap Suthan: Without your Mac, my words wouldn’t have tumbled down. Thank you Steve for the gravity. RIP.

    Pushkar Sane: too many ppl busy doing iCry, iSad, iDown… My tribute to Steve Jobs is through iWork, iThink, iTry, iDare, iLive, iLove. RIP Steve Jobs.

    Rajawat K. Yatish: hail the rebels, the unconventional ones, who don’t imitate, hail to the genius who saw unfulfilled desires and filled them, here’s to man who never accepted the status quo, hail that man who lived better than anyone else during his times, hail the flow, which is no longer with us. Rest in Peace Jobs.

    Vishakha Singh: Many get to live life on their own terms, very few die on their own terms…Ur style made even God adjust to your tunes… In 2005, you said death is Life’s change agent… To me, you were not reachable in life or in death… U will continue to inspire, as always. I will try to stay hungry, stay foolish!

    Arcopol Chaudhuri: It’s only when I cried this morning on hearing the news of Steve Jobs’ death, that I realized how much this man has influenced me and my generation. They don’t make’em like him anymore. I doubt if they will. Rest in peace, you genius.

    Rahul Kishore: 1: Heaven just got a little more sleek, well designed and profitable.Steve Jobs RIP. 2: Financial sector shocked at passing of Steve Jobs — mosty, the idea of a guy who got rich from actually creating something.